The Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has condemned government for allegedly abandoning Ghanaian medical students who fled the Russian-Ukraine war and returned home.

Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said it is "acutely heartbreaking and extremely depressing" that government cannot guarantee academic opportunities to the medical students after several weeks since their evacuation.

His comment comes after the affected students said they have regretted returning to the country because the government has failed to deliver promises made to them.

They said despite the assurances of securing schools for them, nothing has been done by the state in that regard.

“We had a couple of meetings initially and they [government] made us understand that they are very much positioned to help us and secure schools for us.

“They requested data which we made available to them. Everything seems so slow. We do not know what is happening now,” President of the Ukraine Chapter of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) said.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr. Ablakwa noted that Ghana must not "become a country that crashes the noble dreams and aspirations of its young generation."

According to him, "leadership must be embarrassed that our students who fled the war are now publicly proclaiming that they regret leaving Ukraine."

"This is most ignominious, seeing that the war, which is far from over, has been so devastating recording 2,435 civilian deaths as certified this week by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which also reports that over 11 million Ukrainians have left their country," he added.

The North Tongu MP hoped that poor leadership is not compelling the affected students to think that being in Ukraine in its current state, is better than returning to their homeland.

Mr. Ablakwa revealed that he has consistently appealed to government to fashion out an arrangement with medical schools in the country to absorb the returnees since his visit to Romania to assist compatriots fly back into the country.

He therefore described the situation as "unbelievable"; adding that Ghana is in dire need of medical doctors as its current "precarious" doctor-to-population ratio of 1:6,355 is nowhere near the World Health Organisation's (WHO) prescribed standard of 1:1,000.

"Only a couple of weeks ago, the World Bank reminded us that other African countries are doing much better than Ghana as we ranked 14th in sub-Saharan Africa on the doctor-to-population ranking. Our country desperately needs more medical doctors — policymakers must exhibit the required creative awareness," he added.

While commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of former President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Mr. Ablakwa opined that the late President would "be restlessly turning in his grave at how current leaders have gained notoriety for frustrating and killing the ambitions of the youth."

The North Tongu MP emphasized that "this must stop, enough is enough."

According to Mr. Ablakwa, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah inspired young black people by removing barriers and unleashing their full potential to conquer the world.

"By introducing free tuition at all levels and establishing our first medical school, Kwame Nkrumah championed the dignity and dreams of young Ghanaians," he wrote.

Kwame Nkrumah died on April 27, 1972, while battling cancer. Dr Nkrumah was 62 years old when he passed away.

His last breath was not in the country he fought to help attain independence from British colonial rule. Kwame Nkrumah died in Bucharest, Romania.