Member of Parliament for Akim Oda and former Deputy Minister for Health, Alexander Kwesi Acquah, has called on the government to deepen collaboration with the private sector to create employment opportunities for unemployed health professionals across the country.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, June 16, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker questioned the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on measures being put in place by the Ministry to engage private healthcare providers in absorbing more health workers while also improving access to quality healthcare delivery nationwide.
Addressing the House, Mr. Acquah asked the Minister to outline government’s strategy toward leveraging the private health sector to reduce unemployment among trained nurses and other healthcare professionals.
“Mr. Speaker, I’m on my feet to ask the Minister for Health how the Ministry plans to engage with the private sector to absorb more health professionals into the workforce and improve access to quality healthcare,” he stated.
Responding to the question, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh acknowledged the significant role the private sector plays in Ghana’s healthcare system, particularly in expanding employment opportunities and improving healthcare accessibility.
According to the Minister, the Ministry of Health currently operates a dedicated private sector desk that coordinates engagements with private healthcare providers to ensure they align with national healthcare policies and programmes.
“Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Health recognizes the pivotal role the private sector plays in expanding employment opportunities for health professionals and in widening access to quality healthcare for all Ghanaians,” the Minister stated.
He explained that the Ministry continues to support the recruitment and deployment of health workers into not-for-profit private health institutions, especially facilities under the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), which he described as key partners in healthcare delivery.
The Minister further disclosed that during the recently held Annual Health Summit, the Ministry committed itself to developing a comprehensive national register for all health workers in both the public and private sectors.
According to him, the proposed register would help government verify employment records, ensure health facilities meet staffing requirements, and ultimately protect the quality of healthcare services delivered to Ghanaians.
“This register will allow us to verify employment records, confirm that facilities meet their staffing requirements, and ultimately safeguard the quality of care that Ghanaians receive,” he noted.
Mr. Akandoh also revealed that the Ministry intends to provide technical human resource support to private healthcare providers through standardized policy guidelines, basic salary structures, and improved recruitment models aimed at attracting and retaining qualified health professionals.
He assured Parliament that the Ministry remains committed to building a collaborative and sustainable healthcare workforce through stronger partnerships with private health institutions.
In a follow-up question, Alexander Kwesi Acquah referenced previous comments by the Minister indicating that many trained nurses and healthcare workers remain unemployed despite the availability of private health facilities.
The Akim Oda MP therefore asked whether the Ministry would consider directly supporting private healthcare associations to recruit some of the unemployed professionals currently at home.
“Would the Minister consider working directly with the private sector, the private health association, to recruit some of these nurses and other health workers who are at home?” he asked.
In response, the Health Minister clarified that government support currently prioritizes not-for-profit health institutions such as CHAG facilities, where the state fully covers compensation for workers, including doctors and nurses.
However, he suggested that the issue of government recruiting staff on behalf of profit-oriented private healthcare providers remains a matter for broader national discussion.
“Mr. Speaker, we need to further deliberate whether or not the profit-oriented private sector government must indeed recruit for them free of charge. It is a conversation we all need to have,” the Minister stated.
The exchange highlighted ongoing concerns about unemployment among trained health professionals and the growing calls for stronger public-private collaboration to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.
By 1960news.com
