President John Dramani Mahama has directed health workers across the country not to turn away patients brought to their facilities, even where public hospitals are operating under constrained or makeshift conditions.
According to him, government hospitals must admit and attend to all emergency cases referred to them, stressing that no Ghanaian should be denied care because of infrastructural or logistical challenges.
Delivering his State of the Nation Address in Parliament, President Mahama indicated that his administration will complete stalled health projects, including the Sawua Government Hospital and the Police Hospital, as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery.
He disclosed that as of January 2025, the country’s health system was under severe strain, citing ageing and deteriorating equipment, stalled hospital projects and liabilities amounting to GH¢15 billion, as well as mounting workforce pressures that have weakened service delivery.
The President further revealed that donor support to the health sector has declined sharply — from 19 per cent of the total health budget to just 2.2 per cent — creating an annual financing gap of more than GH¢2.4 billion.
He noted that the withdrawal of support from programmes previously financed by partners such as USAID exposed vulnerabilities in the supply of essential medicines and services, particularly in remote and underserved communities.
Faced with these challenges, President Mahama said his government has taken decisive steps to stabilise the sector. In 2026, he announced, direct government funding will account for about 72 per cent of total health expenditure.
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