The Health Committee of Parliament has called on the Ministry of Finance to release funds to recruit approximately 1,000 unemployed doctors, over 48,000 nurses, and thousands of pharmacists across the country.

This appeal comes after the Committee’s visits to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on September 3 and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital on September 4, where it became clear that staffing shortages were severely affecting the quality of healthcare delivery.

Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, Chairman of the Committee, emphasised the urgent need for increased government investment in the healthcare sector.

“Shortage of staff, I think, is nationwide, and we will continue to talk to the Minister of Finance [Ato Forson]. That problem is not with the Ministry of Health; it is with the Ministry of Finance, where we have about 1,000 doctors at home, over 48,000 nurses at home, 1,000 pharmacists at home and Allied health scientists, who are also at home,” he said

He further stressed that investing more in healthcare would provide significant returns for the country.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure to get the Ministry of Finance understands that investment in health will yield about nine or ten times, and so we need to spend more on health,” he said.