A fresh debate has emerged over Ghana’s healthcare priorities after former Member of Parliament for Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro constituency, Sylvester Tetteh suggested that the New Patriotic Party government focused more on recruiting nurses than building new hospitals.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana with host Moro Awudu, Mr Tetteh said the NPP’s approach to healthcare placed greater emphasis on human resources rather than physical infrastructure.
He noted that while many expected visible hospital projects, the government deliberately invested in staffing to strengthen service delivery across the country.
According to him, the Minister of Health has indicated that about GhS6 billion is required to recruit all trained nurses who are currently awaiting employment.
He said this emphasizes the scale of the government’s commitment to expanding the healthcare workforce.
Mr Tetteh explained that the nurse recruitment drive formed part of a broader healthcare strategy that relied on innovation and technology to improve access to medical services.
He cited the National Telehealth Program, launched in November 2024, which allows patients to consult health professionals from their homes using digital platforms.
He also pointed to the E-Pharmacy Policy, which was initiated in 2019 and officially launched in July 2022. The policy enables Ghanaians to access approved medicines nationwide through a mobile app, website, or shortcode, reducing the need for frequent hospital visits.
Another key initiative mentioned was the Biometric Membership Authentication System, piloted between 2023 and 2024. The system is designed to eliminate fraud and ghost names within the National Health Insurance Scheme, ensuring that resources are directed to genuine beneficiaries.
Mr Tetteh said these interventions show that the NPP chose a model that combines staffing, technology, and efficiency to improve healthcare delivery.
However, the approach has attracted criticism. Some observers argue that the focus should have been on constructing more hospitals to meet growing demand. Although the NPP government recruited more than 200,000 public sector workers including nurses, and launched Agenda 111 to build over 100 hospitals nationwide, critics insist that progress on physical infrastructure was slower than expected.
The differing views have reignited public discussion on whether Ghana’s healthcare challenges are best solved by expanding facilities or by strengthening personnel and digital systems, a debate that is likely to continue as pressure mounts on the sector.
Story by Mary Anim || Metro Digital
