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Ministry of Health holds dialogue on workforce challenges
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The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has held a National Policy Dialogue to address critical challenges in the country’s health workforce.
The event, themed “Transforming Ghana’s Health Workforce for UHC: Align, Invest, and Sustain,” aimed to tackle issues such as workforce distribution, skills shortages, and the migration of health professionals.
Discussions focused on defining strategic roles, optimizing the health labour market, and fostering sustainable investments in human resources for health (HRH).
The two-day dialogue sought to build consensus on policies to ensure a well-resourced and resilient health system in Ghana.
Addressing stakeholders, the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, noted that a recent Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA) revealed a mixed picture of progress and ongoing challenges.
Despite significant strides over the past two decades, Ghana continues to grapple with issues related to health worker deployment, retention, and sustainability.
He explained that nearly 40% of trained health professionals remain unemployed, while rural areas, where the need is most acute, suffer from a severe shortage of healthcare workers.
Additionally, he highlighted a concerning trend: migration. He said over two-thirds of health workers are considering leaving the country, largely due to economic factors.
He urged key stakeholders to discuss solutions, emphasizing the need for bold and innovative approaches to address these workforce challenges.
The call to action was clear, rethink strategies, forge partnerships, and ensure long-term sustainability to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
In his welcome address, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Alhaji Hafiz Adam, noted that the Ministry has made significant strides in expanding Ghana’s healthcare workforce over the past two decades, with support from development partners.
This has led to an increase in the public sector workforce density from 16.56 to 41.92 per 10,000 people.
He reiterated that despite this progress, the dialogue, bringing together key stakeholders is aimed to address challenges by analysing HLMA findings and developing strategies focused on education, job creation, and worker retention.
He added that the discussions will explore ways to strengthen partnerships, enhance policies, and establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure the sustainable growth and effective management of Ghana’s health workforce.
The meeting brought together senior officials from key ministries, alongside stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, private health providers, quasi-health institutions, professional associations, and development partners.
A panel discussion aimed to build consensus on reforms to enhance workforce coordination, regulatory frameworks, and long-term financing to support Ghana’s healthcare system was conducted.
The Director of Legal Affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gary Nimako Marfo, has questioned who will bear the cost of conducting presidential and parliamentary primaries following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the party’s delegate system.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Nimako Marfo said he would not immediately comment on the ruling, adding that he wanted to wait for the full details before sharing his views.
“I don’t want to comment on it now. Let’s wait,” he said.
When asked about the Supreme Court’s decision that all members in good standing should vote in party elections, he shifted attention to the financial implications of implementing the ruling.
According to him, allowing all members in good standing to vote would increase the cost of organising internal party elections.
He questioned who would pay for the expanded electoral process.
“Who is going to pay for the cost of the elections?” he asked.
When a journalist suggested that political parties would bear the cost, Mr. Nimako Marfo replied, “Let’s wait and see.”
The comments come after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties should allow all members in good standing to vote in their internal elections, a decision that is expected to expand participation but also increase the financial and logistical demands of organising presidential and parliamentary primaries.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Supreme Court of Ghana has declared the delegate system used by political parties to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates unconstitutional.
In a 5-2 majority decision delivered, the Court ruled that the long-standing system violates democratic principles and ordered all political parties to ensure every registered, card-bearing member participates in presidential and parliamentary primaries.
The ruling brings to an end decades of internal party elections conducted by a limited number of delegates.
The suit was filed by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng; veteran politician Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe; and former Minister for Lands and Forestry, Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah.
The plaintiffs argued that the delegate system created inequality among party members by granting voting rights to a privileged minority while excluding ordinary members in good standing.
They told the Court that restricting voting rights to delegates was inconsistent with the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
The Attorney-General’s Department supported the suit and urged the Court to adopt a “one member, one vote” approach.
In its submission, the State argued that political parties perform an important public function in Ghana’s democratic framework and that their internal electoral processes must reflect constitutional values of equality, participation and universal suffrage.
The Attorney-General further submitted that expanding voting rights to all registered members would strengthen accountability and deepen internal democracy within political parties.
The judgment means that going forward, presidential and parliamentary candidates will be selected by all registered members of a political party, instead of by delegates alone.
Political parties are expected to review their constitutions and structures to comply with the Court’s directive ahead of the 2028 general elections.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
