The demand for healthcare professionals in Ghana is expected to surge significantly due to the Agenda 111 project by the erstwhile government, which aimed at expanding healthcare infrastructure nationwide. However, authorities at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital have raised concerns over the potential brain drain in the health sector, urging the current government to adopt a comprehensive workforce planning strategy.
The hospital’s Acting CEO, Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere, has emphasized that the project’s impact could be limited without a deliberate effort to train and retain healthcare professionals. His comments come as the Mahama government explores alternative funding sources to complete the hospitals under Agenda 111, a project launched by the previous administration to improve access to quality healthcare.
Dr. Owusu-Sekyere stressed the need for a well-thought-out human resource plan to ensure that the new hospitals under Agenda 111 are adequately staffed. He warned that failing to do so could result in severe workforce shortages, leaving many of the new facilities underutilized.
He further highlighted that the expansion of healthcare facilities should go hand in hand with measures to retain skilled healthcare professionals in the country. The increasing trend of Ghanaian health workers seeking opportunities abroad, he noted, poses a risk to the success of the initiative.
As part of the broader vision for healthcare transformation, Dr. Owusu-Sekyere briefed the press on the concept of an Innovation Hub at Korle-Bu, which will incorporate telemedicine at the Korle-Bu hospital.
“We have something called telemedicine as part of it, so that somebody can sit in an Agenda 111 hospital, maybe in my village, and be able to observe surgery being done in Korle-Bu. By [watching the surgery], the person is learning remotely. And that is something that is being done all over the world.’’
Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere Acting CEO of Kolebu Teaching Hospital
This approach, he noted, would enhance training and capacity building for medical professionals in remote areas while ensuring efficient use of resources across various healthcare facilities.
He stressed the importance of maintaining and expanding the hospital’s capacity to accommodate more patients.
“Elsewhere, when the place is full, they have other avenues of sending people. But when it comes to Korle-Bu [it is not done], [because] this is the place that we have the highest aggregation of specialists. All the specialists are here.’’
“If you want specialist [with] continuous clinical care, it is here. That is the reason why we always need to make sure that we make space to take more people.’’
Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere Acting CEO of Kolebu Teaching Hospital
He expressed optimism that the completion of Agenda 111 hospitals would help reduce the burden on Korle-Bu’s emergency and maternity wards, enabling them to handle a larger number of critical cases.
Rehabilitation and Funds
During a night tour of ongoing rehabilitation works at Korle-Bu, Dr. Frederick Kwarteng, Head of Department, Trauma and Orthopedics provided insights into how the hospital has been financing its renovations. Given the government’s financial constraints, the hospital management has been relying on internally generated funds (IGF) to undertake crucial upgrades.
In 2022, the ward was closed down for renovations. We started the renovation in April 2022. And I must say that this renovation was completely and fully sponsored by the Trauma and Orthopedic Department, approved by the Chief Executive Officer. We used our internally generated funds. If you care to know, Korle-Bu sells the highest number of orthopedic implants in Ghana. So, in this department we invested profits from the sale of orthopedic implants, plus our maintenance revenue, and sought approval from the CEO to use it to facelift the ward.’’
Dr. Frederick Kwarteng Kolebu Teaching Hospital
The ongoing rehabilitation covers critical areas of the hospital, including the maternity ward, emergency ward, oxygen plant, and orthopedic center, which has undergone significant renovations.
With ongoing financial challenges, hospitals like Korle-Bu have demonstrated resilience by funding their rehabilitation projects. Nonetheless, sustainable government support remains crucial in ensuring that the Agenda 111 project fulfills its intended purpose of enhancing healthcare accessibility and reducing pressure on major teaching hospitals.
