The Government is expected to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the United States and the United Kingdom in the coming months to facilitate the deployment of Ghanaian health professionals to work in those countries.

The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, disclosed this at the matriculation of 145 post-basic specialised nursing students at the Kumasi Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) and the ENT Nursing School in Kumasi, under the “Mahama Care” initiative.

The students are being trained in four new post-basic specialisations: cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology and oncology. The intake includes 99 students at Kumasi NMTC and 46 at the ENT Nursing School in Kumasi.

The ,inister said the planned agreements with the US and UK build on an existing arrangement with Jamaica, under which Ghanaian health workers have already been deployed in batches abroad.

He explained that the structured migration of health professionals is intended to provide financial benefits to the country through remittances from workers abroad.

However, he stressed that measures would be enforced to prevent shortages in critical areas, adding that highly specialised health professionals would be restricted from leaving the country where Ghana faces significant deficits in those fields.

He said government is also expanding domestic specialist training to meet local and international demand, alongside efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery systems.

As part of ongoing reforms, the ministry has introduced a competency-based curriculum for nursing education and is upgrading several institutions to run post-basic programmes. These include Kumasi NMTC, Korle-Bu NMTC, the ENT School in Kumasi, Tamale NMTC, and the Critical Care and Perioperative School at Korle-Bu.

Following pilot training programmes in Korle-Bu, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Tamale, the Ministry has enrolled 500 nurses into specialised training this year, with plans to increase annual intake to at least 1,000 over the next three years.

The minister also said more than 30 scholarships have been secured for health tutors to pursue PhD studies, with additional sponsorships expected.

He added that the expansion is aimed at strengthening the management of non-communicable diseases and other complex conditions, improving patient outcomes, and advancing progress towards universal health coverage.

The Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, said that while artificial intelligence and robotics are advancing, they cannot replace the empathy, ethics and human judgement required in healthcare.

He urged health professionals to continuously upgrade their skills to remain relevant in an evolving technological environment.

The Principal of Kumasi Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Dr David Benjamin Sampson, appealed for infrastructure support, including the development of a satellite campus at Nkoranza in the Atwima Kwanwoma District, completion of ongoing projects at the ENT Nursing School at Abuakwa, and provision of ICT facilities and transport for both institutions.

He also raised concerns about challenges faced by students in accessing study leave, calling for intervention to address the issue.