Hot!
Over 30% of anaesthetists left Ghana for greener pastures in 2023 – GACRA
The Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists (GACRA) reports that over 30 percent of its members have left the country for greener pastures in 2023.
It stated that, apart from the concerning figure, hardworking, skillful, and experienced professional CRAs had vacated posts, noting that “this has brought about undue stress on the few left.”
Mr. Nwisangra said this at the fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the GACRA in Bolgatanga, held on the theme: “Sustaining the practice of anaesthesia in Ghana amidst the brain drain; policy direction and regulation.”
Mr. James Nwisangra, President of the GACRA, said the situation might worsen and affect the practice of anaesthesia.
“I am told many, including some present in the conference, have intentions of leaving.”
He identified the lack of career progression, poor conditions of service, wrongful placement on the Single Spine Salary Scale, lack of scheme of service, and regulatory challenges as factors contributing to the exodus of the skilled workforce.
Mr. Nwisangra said CRAs in Ghana numbered about 1200, serving over 32 million people.
“This gives us a ratio of 1:26, 650.43. This is an unfortunate situation which clearly shows the magnitude of work on the CRA.”
On the significance of their job in healthcare delivery, he said their specialty included the resuscitation of the sick, injured, critically ill, the newborn, and those in intensive care units.
“This can only be done by the trained anaesthesia provider that is the CRA or the Anesthesiologist and not any other person. All emergency situations in our health institutions are centred on the Anaesthetist,” he emphasized.
Mr. Nwisangra, re-elected as the Association’s President for another four-year term at the conference, expressed concern about the poor conditions of service, including the lack of accommodation, and inadequate equipment at the workplaces, among other issues.
He said the GACRA had submitted a comprehensive conditions of service document to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) awaiting negotiations.
He said even though the rules of engagement had been signed by both parties, there was undue delay in the process of negotiations.
“FWSC, the employer and stakeholders should speed up the process to enable us to have improved conditions of service for the CRA.”
Mr. Nwisangra further indicated that the Association had observed an upsurge in diseases, such as cancer, kidney, and liver cases in Ghana, which used not to be common among the populace.
He said research attributed the diseases to pollution and contamination of rivers and water bodies due to illegal mining activities and the use of uncontrolled chemicals on farms, abuse of substances, and high consumption of alcohol and drugs by the youth.
The Association urged the government to make pragmatic efforts to control illegal mining and the use of toxic chemicals on farmlands to save the lives of citizens.
Dr. Samuel Kwabena Boagye-Boateng, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, in a speech read on his behalf, said the theme of the conference was most appropriate and timely, considering the exodus of health professionals abroad in search of greener pastures.
He said the trend, if not checked, would have dire consequences on the health status of the citizenry.
He appreciated the importance and invaluable roles of anaesthetists in quality healthcare delivery.
“The migration of anaesthetists and other health professionals to other countries in search of better conditions of service should be a cause of worry for all people living in Ghana, and if this is not checked or minimized, will affect access to quality healthcare, which will impact negatively on our health status,” he said.
Source: gna.org.gh
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
