Accra: Ghana's progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) depends on building and retaining a resilient, motivated and equitably distributed health workforce, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has said. He emphasized that workforce development must remain central to health sector reforms to sustain recent gains in healthcare access, service delivery, and financial protection.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Akandoh made these remarks at the opening of the 2026 Annual Health Summit in Accra, themed 'Building a Resilient Health Workforce for Universal Health Coverage'. The summit brought together policymakers, development partners, health professional associations, academia, and civil society organizations to discuss strategies for strengthening Ghana's health system amid emerging global and domestic challenges.
Mr Akandoh described health workers as the backbone of healthcare delivery and urged stakeholders to prioritize workforce development as a key pillar of the country's healthcare transformation. He emphasized that doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, public health practitioners, and other frontline workers remain the driving force behind health outcomes in the country.
He highlighted Ghana's health sector progress, noting that outpatient attendance increased from 29.9 million visits in 2021 to over 39 million in 2025, and active membership of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) rose from 57% of the population in 2021 to 66% in 2026. Additionally, there was a decline in out-of-pocket health expenditure from 38% to 26.7%.
The Ministry reported an increase in public sector health workforce density from 16.5 per 10,000 population in 2013 to 41.92 in 2022, with the combined density of doctors, nurses, and midwives reaching 82.75 per 10,000 population, exceeding the World Health Organization's benchmark. However, disparities in workforce distribution remained a challenge, with only 38% of health workers deployed to rural areas despite 41% of Ghanaians residing there.
Migration of health professionals was identified as an ongoing concern. Mr Akandoh stated the challenge was not just training more health workers but also employing, deploying, motivating, supporting, and retaining them. To address these issues, the government recruited over 14,000 health workers in 2025 and planned an additional 16,000 in 2026.
Efforts to staff underserved areas showed progress, with the number of medical doctors accepting postings to underserved regions increasing from 12 in 2024 to 100 in 2026. Currently, 475 nurses are undergoing specialized training, with plans to train about 1,000 annually. Furthermore, 30 scholarships were awarded for PhD programs to enhance leadership and research capacity within the health sector.
Mr Akandoh stressed that workforce resilience involves more than staffing levels and must include ethics, professionalism, accountability, and patient-centered care. He disclosed that the government intends to complete at least 10 hospitals under the Agenda 111 initiative in 2026 and start work on new regional hospitals in the Savannah, Oti, and Western North Regions. Plans are also underway to establish three cardiac centers and strengthen partnerships with the private sector and faith-based organizations.
The Minister called for a renewed national compact for health workforce development, urging stakeholders to commit to measurable actions to improve recruitment, retention, deployment, professional development, and workplace conditions. He appealed for sustained investment in workforce welfare, rural incentives, specialist training, and leadership development.
Mr Akandoh concluded that building a resilient workforce is essential for accelerating Ghana's journey toward Universal Health Coverage, ensuring quality healthcare is a right for all.