Ghana needs specialist nurses where disease burden is high – Health Minister

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has called for closer alignment between specialist nursing and midwifery training, workforce deployment and the resources available to healthcare professionals.

He said investment in specialist training would only translate into better patient outcomes if trained professionals were appropriately deployed, given opportunities for career development and supported with the equipment and institutional resources required to work effectively.

Mr Akandoh made the remarks at the opening of the 11th Annual General Meeting and 6th Scientific Seminar of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh.

The seminar is being held on the theme: “Building a Resilient Specialist Nursing and Midwifery Workforce to Improve Health Outcomes.”

The Minister said Ghana's changing healthcare needs required a workforce capable of providing coordinated, long-term and increasingly specialised care.

He cited the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, continuing infectious disease threats and advances in medical technology as factors reshaping the responsibilities of nurses and midwives.

Mr Akandoh said specialist nurses were particularly important in areas such as emergency and critical care, oncology, renal care, mental health, neonatal care, and maternal and newborn health.

“Specialist expertise can make a decisive difference. It helps professionals recognise complications earlier, make sound clinical decisions and contribute effectively to multidisciplinary teams,” he said.

He added that specialist nurses and midwives also contributed to strengthening the wider health workforce through teaching, supervision and mentorship.

The Minister, however, cautioned that specialist training alone would not deliver the desired results without adequate staffing, appropriate equipment, supportive leadership and opportunities for continuous professional development.

Health reforms

Mr Akandoh said the government's health reforms, including Free Primary Healthcare, the National Health Insurance Scheme and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as Mahama Cares, were creating a continuum of care that required corresponding investment in specialist human resources.

He said Free Primary Healthcare, launched in April 2026, was intended to strengthen prevention, early detection, screening and treatment at the community and primary healthcare levels.

Nurses and midwives, he noted, remained central to that process because they were often the first healthcare professionals to identify risks, support behavioural change, explain diagnoses and determine when patients needed referral.

The Minister said the expansion of specialised services under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund would similarly increase the demand for specialist nurses and midwives.

“Equipment, financing and specialist medical care achieve their full value when supported by skilled nurses and midwives who can monitor patients, recognise complications, coordinate care and support families through recovery,” he said.

Mr Akandoh said the Ministry would work with the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, health facilities, training institutions and service agencies to better match specialist training with staffing requirements and gaps in healthcare delivery.

He also called for workforce planning that considered the geographical distribution of specialists to reduce disparities in access to specialised healthcare.

According to him, access to specialist services should not be determined by a patient's ability to travel to major cities.

Welfare of health workers

The Minister further stressed that the resilience of Ghana's health workforce should not be based on professionals simply enduring difficult working conditions.

“A health worker who is supported is better able to remain attentive, make sound decisions and provide compassionate care. Caring for the workforce is therefore part of caring for the patient,” he said.

He called for effective supervision, manageable workloads, improved attention to health worker safety and wellbeing, meaningful career progression and recognition of specialist competence.

Call for strategic investment

Chairman of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Prof. Ebenezer Bugri Anarfo, said specialist nursing and midwifery education should be considered a strategic national investment rather than merely an academic progression pathway.

He said Ghana needed to move beyond counting the number of nurses and midwives available and focus on whether the country had the right skills, specialisations, leadership capacity, distribution and working conditions to meet its changing healthcare needs.

Prof. Anarfo said building a resilient specialist workforce required sustained investment in postgraduate education, continuous professional development, clinical mentorship, leadership development, research capacity, digital competencies and lifelong learning.

He also stressed the importance of retaining trained specialists, warning that the departure of experienced professionals resulted in the loss of institutional knowledge, mentoring capacity and potential future leaders.

The College Chairman called for policies and institutional arrangements that would make professional development and career progression meaningful through recognition, continuing education, leadership opportunities and supportive working environments.

He further urged stronger collaboration among the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Nursing and Midwifery Council, universities, teaching hospitals and professional associations to strengthen research and professional development.

Prof. Anarfo said the ultimate test of specialist training should be its impact on patient care.

He said the College should therefore measure its contribution through improvements in the quality and safety of care, patient experiences, clinical decision-making, maternal and newborn outcomes and reductions in preventable complications.

Both Mr Akandoh and Prof. Anarfo stressed the need for closer collaboration between academic and clinical institutions to ensure that specialist training remained responsive to the realities of Ghana's healthcare system.

The Minister said the true measure of progress would ultimately be reflected in patients' lives, including mothers who safely deliver their babies, patients whose complications are detected early and families who are able to access specialised care when they need it.