Ghana’s health sector can shift from crisis management to sustained improvement within two years if the government stabilises financing, hires trained health workers and enforces facility maintenance, healthcare analyst Jennifer Frimpong has said.

The warning comes after a sudden shortfall in donor funding left a $156 million gap in 2025, disrupting programmes for malaria control, maternal and child health, family planning and HIV services.

The government stepped in to cover the deficit, underscoring the urgency of the situation.

“Plugging the hole is not enough,” she said. “Without structural fixes, the next funding shock will hit harder.”

Ghana’s health system relies heavily on external support, and the abrupt funding cut exposed deep vulnerabilities.

Ms. Frimpong argues that the country must create a Health Resilience Fund to cushion future shocks and ring-fence maintenance budgets to prevent costly service interruptions.

She also points to a paradox in workforce management: more than 70,000 trained nurses, midwives and allied professionals remain unemployed while rural clinics lack staff.

A phased recruitment plan tied to a digital payroll audit could eliminate ghost workers and ensure salaries reach actual employees.

Maintenance is another weak link. The health ministry has ordered dedicated accounts for upkeep, but implementation lags.

Ms. Frimpong says modular infrastructure projects and a national scorecard would attract co-financing and hold implementers accountable.

“Ghana has the policy tools and public will,” Ms. Frimpong said. “What it needs now is discipline and speed, turning commitments into hires, maintenance and resilient financing so every budget line translates into better care at the bedside.”