Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced that government will commence the construction of three new regional hospitals next year as part of efforts to expand healthcare infrastructure across the country.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, December 1, 2025, the Minister noted that six of Ghana’s 16 regions have gone without regional hospitals for the past seven years, despite a presidential pledge to address the gap.
“His Excellency promised the good people of this country that he was going to construct six regional hospitals in regions where there are none. Fortunately enough, in the 2026 budget, we are going to begin the construction of three regional hospitals, namely the Savannah Region, the Oti Region, and the Western North Region. And some 600 million Ghana cedis have been allocated to that effect. So when I say this budget is health-centered, I mean it,” Mr. Akandoh said.
He stressed that ongoing projects will not be abandoned, citing facilities such as La General Hospital, the Komfo Anokye Maternity Block, the Sewua Regional Hospital, Agenda 111 projects, and various CHPS compounds.
The Minister highlighted the importance of primary healthcare, which he said accounts for about 80 percent of the nation’s health needs. He emphasized that every district is expected to construct at least two CHPS compounds annually to strengthen service delivery.
Mr. Akandoh also raised concerns about the state of medical equipment in health facilities, describing the situation as dire. “The last time we did a major retooling in this country was His Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s first administration. Since then, our health facilities have been suffering. We have reports that indicate that more than 50% of our CHPS compounds do not have basic equipment,” he said.
As part of the free primary healthcare initiative, government plans to retool facilities to ensure they are equipped to deliver essential services. The Minister announced plans to establish three catheterization centers at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital.
He further disclosed that DNA testing machines will be procured for the Noguchi Memorial Institute, clarifying: “The last time I said that, I saw a lot of infographs about me suggesting that I was going to insist on compulsive paternity tests. I’m sorry, that was not coming from me, so you must disregard that.”
Under the Mahama CARES programme, teaching and regional hospitals will also be retooled to better manage non-communicable diseases. Mr. Akandoh underscored the role of the private sector in complementing government’s efforts, noting that private providers who supply equipment will be reimbursed through the National Health Insurance Scheme or Mahama CARES.
“Now we have more than one health financing scheme, and so that is what we are doing,” he concluded.
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