Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana’s leading referral center, has lost approximately 300 highly skilled and specialized health professionals between January and June 2025, as they seek better opportunities abroad. Hospital officials described the exodus as “alarming,” warning it severely threatens healthcare delivery at the facility.
Deputy Medical Director Dr. Harry Akoto shared the figures during a needs assessment visit by Obuobia Darko-Opoku, administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund—known as “Mahama Cares”—on September 18. The initiative aims to support patients with chronic and non-communicable diseases not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) through a nationwide rollout.
Dr. Akoto highlighted that the departures include critical staff like an average of 50 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses per month, driven by poor work environments and low remuneration. “When we look at our data, we have approximately 300 people leaving between January and June this year. These are people who are highly skilled and highly specialised,” he told Citi News. “The issues are multifactorial; some are based on a poor work environment. But the chunk of it is remuneration. People feel they can get more out there than being here.”
He urged immediate government interventions to enhance working conditions, pay, and training to stem the tide, noting the trend has intensified amid economic challenges and global recruitment drives.
The hospital, established in 1923 and now Africa’s third-largest with 2,000 beds, serves as a key teaching facility for the University of Ghana Medical School. This staff crisis exacerbates ongoing pressures, including recent expansions in nursing roles and free healthcare for staff starting September 1, 2025.
