The Ministry of Health (MoH) says approximately 2,000 nurses employed in state and mission health facilities in Ghana have emigrated to foreign countries in recent years.

According to the Ministry, about 1,400 nurses worked within the Ghana Health Service (GHS), while the remaining 600 were employed in facilities associated with the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG).

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu who said this during a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, September 6 did not specify the exact timeframe of this migration but emphasized that it has not significantly disrupted healthcare operations in the country.

Mr Agyemang-Manu said, "We are getting very serious distress messages from the facilities that if we don’t bring new ones, they can’t work. We are managing the situation."

He stressed that the migration of healthcare workers is a global phenomenon, however, MoH is collaborating closely with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to develop policies to address present and future challenges related to the issue.

The Health Minister outlined several achievements in the healthcare sector, including the training of some 636 nurses and midwives from 2019 to 2022 and 888 senior medical specialists.

He also highlighted the establishment of a vaccine institute in the country, the recognition of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as a regional center of regulatory excellence in vaccine oversight, and the attainment of WHO-Prequalified Quality Control Laboratory status.

Under the national E-health project, Mr Agyemang-Manu noted the deployment of an electronic patient record system aimed at improving patient data access, claims management, and system harmonization.

The Minister explained that there are ongoing healthcare infrastructure projects, such as the construction of hospitals, rehabilitation of existing facilities, and the development of specialised medical centers across the country.

He said these initiatives are part of a broader effort to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare services in Ghana.