Korle Bu loses nearly 300 skilled health professionals in six months, officials warn of crisis

Between January and June 2025, almost 300 experienced and specialised staff left the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for opportunities abroad, sparking serious concerns about the sustainability of healthcare delivery at Ghana’s premier medical facility.

Deputy Medical Director Dr. Harry Akoto disclosed the numbers during a needs assessment exercise led by the administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, widely known as Mahama Cares, ahead of the programme’s rollout to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“Our data show that about 300 people have left between January and June this year, and these are highly skilled, highly specialised professionals  not fresh graduates. The reasons are multifactorial, but the bigger chunk is remuneration. People feel they can earn more elsewhere,” Dr. Akoto said in an interview with JoyNews’ Maxwell Agbagba.

He cautioned that Ghana may lose many more seasoned doctors and nurses if pay, training opportunities, and workplace conditions are not improved.

“We need to ramp up the training of more nurses so we always have enough to take care of ourselves. But we must also improve the environment in which they work. Otherwise, we are fighting a battle we cannot win. I call this the galamsey of healthcare because it is threatening our survival you can have beautiful buildings, but if there is nobody there to work, patients will still be lost,” he stressed.

During the visit, Ghana Medical Trust Fund administrator Obuobia Darko-Opoku highlighted that Korle Bu was central to the initiative’s success.

“Mahama Cares cannot operate without engaging facilities like Korle Bu because they are the key stakeholders. We need to know what they have, what needs replacement, and what needs urgent attention. The tour has opened our eyes to the realities here, and we are confident that once we get the reports from the departments and act on them, we will make a real difference,” she said.

She added that the scheme is not just about patient care but will also prioritise prevention and equipment renewal to build long-term capacity in handling NCDs.

Director of Medical Affairs, Dr. Frank Owusu Sekyere, echoed the urgency, describing the intervention as timely.

“The visit has been very good. It is easy to sit somewhere and assume what the needs are, but this tour has helped to identify the real gaps from equipment to human resources. Korle Bu carries a heavy national burden, so this support will go a long way to help us deliver better care,” he said.

He explained that Korle Bu continues to lose intensive care unit nurses almost every month, welcoming Mahama Cares’ focus on training as a way of narrowing the human resource gap.

“Health is a shared responsibility, and if Mahama Cares is coming to share that responsibility, that is welcome news. We are definitely looking forward to the takeoff of this project,” Dr. Sekyere added.