Deputy Minister for Health, Professor Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has called for a transparent, fair and merit-based admissions process into Ghana's Health Training Institutions, saying the quality of healthcare delivery depends on the calibre of students admitted for training.

Speaking at the 2026 Annual Health Training Institutions Conference in Kumasi, Prof. Ayensu-Danquah said decisions taken during the conference would shape the country's future health workforce and support Ghana's drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

The conference was held under the theme, "Bridging Pathways and Harmonising Entry Standards for Quality Advanced Health Training."

Addressing participants, the Deputy Minister outlined a number of reforms introduced by the Ministry of Health to strengthen health professional education.

These include the timely payment of trainee allowances, the introduction of fully funded PhD scholarships for 30 health tutors, the creation of the Chief Health Tutor position, the rollout of specialist nursing programmes, the reduction in the cost of nursing admission forms, improvements to the admissions process, the introduction of Bachelor of Science programmes in 14 nursing training colleges, and enhanced human resource management systems across Health Training Institutions.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah urged admissions committees to ensure that the selection of students remains transparent, objective, consistent, and aligned with Ghana's health workforce needs.

She also called for the uniform implementation of agreed admission guidelines across all institutions, stressing that consistency and accountability are essential to maintaining public confidence in the country's health training system.

The Deputy Minister further commended regulatory bodies, mentoring universities, and development partners for their contributions towards maintaining high standards in health professional education.

Director of Human Resource for Health Development at the Ministry of Health, Fred Mensah Achampong, described the annual conference as an important platform for strengthening health professional education through collaboration, experience sharing and innovation.

He reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to implementing strategic human resource policies that align health education with the country's healthcare priorities.

Mr. Achampong also announced the commencement of new post-basic specialist nursing programmes in Critical Care, Emergency, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Nephrology and Oncology Nursing at selected Health Training Institutions.

According to him, more than 500 students have already been admitted into the pioneer institutions, with the Ministry targeting at least 1,000 admissions annually over the next three years to boost specialist healthcare delivery and improve Ghana's competitiveness in the global health workforce.

The conference brought together officials from the Ministry of Health, Health Training Institutions, regulatory councils, mentoring universities, development partners, and members of admissions and selection committees to discuss interview processes, selection guidelines and strategies for harmonising admissions and improving the quality of health professional education in Ghana.