Inheriting a debt of GHS 12.68 billion ($1.268 billion) at the Ministry of Health whilst the health system was in a deplorable condition was very terrible. With all this, Hon. Mintah Akandoh accepted the challenge to reset the Ministry of Health, including all the 25 agencies under his watch such as the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), various regional teaching hospitals, etc., whilst under pressure from about 90 professional unions under his watch.
This didn’t shake nor move the Honourable Minister but motivated him. Under the first 6 months of him in office, the Ministry has experienced a significant impact and change which everyone is talking about. He was met with the outbreak of cholera and meningitis. But being the determined person who wants the best for his country, he acted swiftly—visiting these affected communities, putting measures in place, and providing the necessary support and resources. In the shortest possible time, everything was dealt with. He is the Health Minister Ghanaians wished we had during the COVID-19 era.
Immediately after assuming office, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh made sure that the agencies under his watch were also made to work effectively and efficiently so that everything would fall into place for us to achieve the Reset Agenda of President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC.
Firstly, he made sure the National Health Insurance Authority cleared all the debts it owed, which was done. The NHIA owed GHS 603 million. Under his watch, without delay, the NHIA disbursed GHS 1.3 billion to providers in the first half of 2025, which is commendable. This means that claims payments to providers ratio has increased to 65% from 56% in 2024, with the target expected to increase to 75% in 2026. The National Health Insurance Levy was uncapped, which led to the increase of NHIA revenue to GHS 9.76 billion from GHS 1.73 billion in prior years.
In previous years, there were instances where the country ran out of vaccines and there had to be a public outcry before the government and the Minister of Health intervened. But under the watch of Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, he has vowed not to allow such a tragedy to happen under his leadership. He has increased the vaccine budget by 46% and paid in full $24.5 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). This was done swiftly because investing in health is securing the future of the country.
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh came to office to meet about 70,000 unemployed health workers. This outrageous number of unemployed health workers is a result of government’s negligence and mismanagement. With this situation at hand, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has reiterated that he is not in office to blame anyone but to fix the mess and keep the health sector working. The Minister for Health has put into place measures to include some of these health professionals into the next budget for their recruitment. Since the budget can’t accommodate all the 70,000 unemployed health professionals, he has come up with a brilliant plan to come into agreement with some foreign countries to help employ these individuals abroad. The signing of the MOUs for these countries is underway. Thirteen foreign countries have so far shown interest in this project, which include Canada, Germany, Korea, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, etc. He is not just a hardworking minister, but he is strategic and innovative as a leader.
Another problem Kwabena Mintah Akandoh faced when he assumed office was the pressure from the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to implement their Conditions of Service (CoS). This happened after the nation’s budget was read without its inclusion. With the country resetting its economy, we couldn’t risk adding a debt of GHS 2 billion ($200 million) as allowance for nursing, as stated by the Deputy Finance Minister. This utterance was met with a strong strike declared by the leadership of the GRNMA. But with the strong determination and leadership of Hon. Mintah Akandoh, the strike was called off, and he has made sure some of the Conditions of Service (CoS) allowance is included in the Mid-Year Budget Review. This is a Minister for the people and with the people.Stakeholders engagement are underway for the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare, with the aim of providing equitable, sustainable healthcare access across communities. This is happening under the watch of the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
There have been a lot of reform works ongoing since the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, took over. These reforms are taking place in health financing, local pharmaceutical production, institutional management, and investment in health infrastructure, traditional medicine, research, and skilled workforce development. While reforms are ongoing, engagements with individuals in the private sector are also underway to help with hospital renovations, equipment upgrades, and vaccine production.
Agenda 111 was a project which was poorly implemented under the watch of the former government. Immediately Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh took over as the Health Minister, he ordered for an audit of these projects, and he has assured that projects which are above 80% completion will be prioritized. The rest will be given out as Build-Operate-and-Transfer (BOT).
When the 2024 elections were approaching, to score political points, the NPP government illegally recruited over 10,000 nurses and midwives without giving them financial clearance. Salary arrears for 321 Pharmacist House Officers weren’t paid to them. But immediately Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh got into office, he made sure they were all paid and gave them the financial clearance they needed. Very soon, 1,621 pharmacists will be recruited.
In the 2024 elections, the main healthcare campaign message of the NDC was the MahamaCares initiative, which is to support those battling chronic illnesses nationwide. Hon. Mintah Akandoh, immediately after his vetting as Minister for Health, introduced the bill for this initiative on the floor of Parliament. It was immediately passed by Parliament and launched at the UGMC, which was graced by the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. The annual budget for this excellent initiative is GHS 3 billion, and it will be funded through NHIF, budget allocations, donations, and grants.
Nurses are one of the most important pillars of every nation, and the nurses of this country are seriously prioritized by our Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh. Recently, with the Ministry of Finance, GHS 452 million was released to the nursing trainees as their allowance—just as was promised during the 2024 campaign that the allowance wouldn’t be cancelled. Truly, the words of the President have been honoured. In addition to this, a new digital admission portal has been launched for the health training institutions, and 40+ colleges are now accredited to offer degree programmes, which is really commendable.
It is the aim of the President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, and the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to make Ghana a hub for vaccine production. The Minister has tasked the National Vaccine Institute to work with regulators and industry to achieve this aim, and currently, a local partner has been approved by the FDA to produce anti-venom serum commercially.
If Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh is not the best Health Minister, he will definitely be one of the best to ever manage the health sector. We pray for God’s strength and wisdom to help him deliver on this difficult mandate. And with his competence and track record, we will experience the better healthcare system we all want.“
