The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has cautioned that efficiency without faith risks undermining healthcare, urging moral renewal to sustain compassion and ethics in health delivery. 

At its annual conference in Koforidua, CHAG raised concerns over what it calls “spiritual emptiness” in the nation’s healthcare system, warning that hospitals risk becoming “efficient but spiritually hollow.” 

Speaking at the conference themed “Sustaining Christian Identity, Values and Ethics in Health Systems Strengthening,” the Executive Director, Dr Peter Kwame Yeboah, said, “almost eight million Ghanaians knock on our doors every year.” 

“We provide compassionate, Christ-like care through 385 facilities across all 16 regions. Yet, we are beginning to see signs of moral fatigue among staff.” 

He cautioned that hospitals founded on prayer and compassion now would risk losing their spiritual foundation.  

“Our hospitals are becoming efficient but spiritually empty, and that is not the foundation of our calling,” he stressed. 

Dr Yeboah highlighted CHAG’s role in pioneering community-based health insurance schemes in the 1990s, which influenced Ghana’s NHIS, adding, “CHAG provides nearly one-third of the country’s healthcare services, particularly in communities often forgotten. We are the bridge between science and faith, compassion, and efficiency.” 

Delivering the keynote address, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost Apostle Eric Nyamekye reminded health professionals of their divine calling, saying, “Every Christian in the health sector is performing a holy assignment. You are the salt and light in a world advancing medically but declining morally.” 

“We live in an age of astonishing progress, yet millions still suffer needlessly. That is why we must heal not just the body, but the soul.” 

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh commended CHAG’s contribution, saying, “CHAG is more than a health provider; it is a custodian of faith, dignity, and humanity in our national health system.”  

He pledged the government’s commitment under the upcoming Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (2026–2029) and policies such as the Free Primary Healthcare Policy. 

The Catholic Bishop of Koforidua, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifa Agyekum, praised CHAG for delivering uninterrupted services, urging the Ministry of Health to keep health workers motivated. 

The conference ended with a renewed call for moral and spiritual renewal in Ghana’s health sector, emphasising that compassion and ethics must remain the foundation of care.