Nearly 300 highly trained and specialised healthcare professionals have departed from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital between January and June 2025, seeking better prospects overseas — a trend hospital authorities describe as a worrying rate of attrition that poses a serious threat to healthcare delivery.
Korle Bu’s Deputy Medical Director, Dr. Harry Akoto, disclosed the statistics during a needs assessment visit by the administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund — widely known as Mahama Cares — ahead of the programme’s nationwide launch to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“Our data show that about 300 people have left between January and June this year, and these are highly skilled, highly specialised professionals — not fresh graduates. The reasons are multifactorial, but the bigger chunk is remuneration. People feel they can earn more elsewhere,” Dr. Akoto told JoyNews’ Maxwell Agbagba.
He cautioned that without swift action to enhance working conditions, improve pay, and expand training for nurses and doctors, Ghana risks losing its most seasoned medical personnel to more advanced countries.
“We need to ramp up the training of more nurses so we always have enough to take care of ourselves. But we must also improve the environment in which they work. Otherwise, we are fighting a battle we cannot win. I call this the galamsey of healthcare because it is threatening our survival — you can have beautiful buildings, but if there is nobody there to work, patients will still be lost,” he emphasised.
Ghana Medical Trust Fund Administrator, Obuobia Darko-Opoku, noted that the visit to Korle Bu forms part of a nationwide evaluation aimed at identifying equipment shortages, infrastructure issues, and service delivery gaps before Mahama Cares is rolled out.
“Mahama Cares cannot operate without engaging facilities like Korle Bu because they are the key stakeholders. We need to know what they have, what needs replacement, and what needs urgent attention. The tour has opened our eyes to the realities here, and we are confident that once we get the reports from the departments and act on them, we will make a real difference,” she said.
Madam Obuobia further stated that the initiative will prioritise not only patient care but also preventive measures and equipment renewal to boost Ghana’s ability to manage NCDs effectively.
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