The College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana on 20th February 2026 hosted a high-level engagement with the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and his delegation, in a meeting that highlighted major national health policy developments notably updates on the Ghana Trust Fund for non-communicable diseases and the approval stage of the Basic Health Care Provision policy aimed at expanding access to primary health services across the country.
In his opening remarks, the Provost, Alfred Edwin Yawson, warmly welcomed the Minister and introduced the Deans and Heads of Department. He outlined the College’s structure, noting that it comprises six schools, one institute, and two centres dedicated to training a wide range of health professionals, including medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, genetic counsellors, radiotherapists, and Allied Health professionals. He emphasized the critical role of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research as the College’s flagship research institute and highlighted the College’s contribution as a key partner to national health development.
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in his remarks explained that his visit was intended to strengthen collaboration and deepen engagement with a major stakeholder in the health sector. He provided an update on the Ghana Trust Fund, an initiative originally proposed during the 2024 campaign by President John Dramani Mahama to support the treatment of non-communicable diseases.
According to the Minister, following the swearing-in of the President, the initiative underwent a series of administrative and parliamentary processes and is now at an advanced stage, with implementation expected to commence soon. He explained that once a medical specialist applies on behalf of a patient, the Fund will provide the necessary financial support for treatment, thereby easing the burden on patients and improving access to care.
The Minister further indicated that the policy on free primary or basic health care is currently undergoing approval. He noted that many Ghanaians delay seeking medical attention despite contributing to the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the policy seeks to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to essential health services. He reported that extensive stakeholder consultations have been undertaken with specialists, professional associations, and nursing bodies. As part of preparations for implementation, the Ministry plans to undertake a study visit to Kenya to learn from their experience in rolling out basic primary health care systems.
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh acknowledged that key challenges remain, particularly gaps in equipment and infrastructure, stressing that facilities without adequate tools cannot effectively function as health care centres. He therefore emphasized ongoing retooling efforts and the exploration of innovative management approaches, including the use of special purpose vehicles to manage medical equipment efficiently. He also announced that hospital equipment placement has commenced nationwide, including the installation of dialysis machines in all regions, with financing supported through national programmes and health financing mechanisms.
Addressing broader health infrastructure, the Minister reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to completing the Agenda 111 initiative, noting that many projects remain uncompleted. He indicated that government is exploring partnerships with private sector actors including mining and telecommunications companies by offering tax incentives to accelerate completion and expansion of the capacity of stalled hospital projects.
The Minister urged health professionals to accept postings regardless of geographical location, assuring that government will work to improve conditions in underserved areas. He shared insights from recent visits to the Savannah and Oti Regions, where some posted doctors had not reported to duty, and announced the introduction of a validation mechanism with deadlines for acceptance of postings. He noted that after April 2026, doctors who fail to report may be replaced. He encouraged health professionals to explore local economic opportunities, such as farming or community enterprises, alongside their clinical duties, and called on faculty to motivate graduates to serve in rural areas. He further emphasized that the College of Health Sciences should serve as the primary hub for stakeholder engagement in health sector initiatives.
The Provost welcomed the government’s commitment to comprehensive health care provision and outlined critical challenges facing the College. A major concern raised was faculty depletion, with many experienced staff retiring and limited recruitment capacity to replace them. . It was noted that Faculty are over stressed and there is the need to close the gap between the ratio of the faculty-student at the College of Health Sciences to offer student premium and transformative student experiences as health care professionals in the making. The College called for increased recruitment and the secondment of Ministry specialists to support teaching, clinical services, and specialist training. A request was also made for the posting of dental professionals and national service personnel to strengthen dental training and service delivery.
Infrastructure constraints were also highlighted, including the need to expand the simulation centre, lecture halls, conference facilities, hostels, and the Dental School Clinic. The Provost requested support to complete the seven-storey biomedical sciences training facility. It was observed that current class sizes of 300, particularly for medical students exceed available space. To this, the Dean of UGMS indicated that the lecture halls need expansion and there is a lot of land around for possible expansion projects. In addition, the creation of conference rooms for international conferences was highlight for research and collaboration.
Additional concerns included rising electricity costs and the need to restore joint metering arrangements with Korle-Bu to ease financial pressures on the College. Prof. Yawson indicated that once, this is request is brought to the attention of the Minister, he should humbly support the approval for a joint meter and billing, since that was the previous arrangement under the previous administration until a new Manager at ECG took up the segregation of meters without informing Korle Bu Management.
The Dean of SBAHS, Professor Samuel Sarpong Antwi-Baffour made a passionate appeal for the replacement of ageing student buses used for transport between Korle Bu and Legon campuses.
In his closing remarks, the Minister encouraged innovative partnerships with the private sector to address accommodation challenges, including the development of additional hostels on the Korle-Bu campus to resolve issues regarding vehicular support for students. He assured the College that his team would review the issues raised and explore avenues for support. He also indicated plans to tour lecture halls and simulation centres to assess infrastructure needs firsthand.
Hon. Alfred Oko Vanderpuye expressed appreciation for the candid discussions and pledged to work with the Ministry to support the completion of ongoing projects, including facilities funded through national development programmes.
The meeting underscored the strategic role of the College of Health Sciences in advancing national health priorities and highlighted significant progress toward the operationalization of the Ghana Trust Fund and the approval of the Basic Health Care Provision policy. The engagement reinforced a shared commitment between government and academia to strengthen health systems, expand access to care, and invest in the training and welfare of the health workforce.
The session concluded with a group photograph involving the Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health; Prof. Alfred Edwin Yawson, Provost of the College of Health Sciences; Hon. Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, MP for Ablekuma South Constituency; Hon. Alfred Nii Ashee Kotey, MP for Odododeodoo Constituency; Fred Mensah, Director of HR at the Ministry of Health; Prof. Yvonne Dei-Adomako, Dean of UGMS; Prof. Sandra Hewlett, Dean of UGDS; Prof. Samuel Sarpong Antwi-Baffour, Dean of SBHAS; Mr. Worlanyo Newton Torvinyo, College Registrar, Tony Goodman, Head HTI, Ministry of Health; HoDs and Administrators of the College of Health Sciences.
