The Ghanaian Ministry of Health has warned heads of health training institutions against exceeding approved admission quotas and violating admission timelines, saying institutions that fail to comply risk sanctions.
The directive was issued during the 2026 Annual Health Training Institutions Conference held in Kumasi under the theme, “Bridging Pathways and Harmonising Entry Standards for Quality Advanced Health Training.”
Speaking at the conference, the Director of Human Resource for Health Development at the Ministry of Health, Fred Mensah Achampong, said admission quotas are based on national workforce planning and should not be treated as arbitrary figures.
“Quotas are determined after careful workforce planning,” Achampong said, urging principals and directors to strictly adhere to the approved admission numbers.
He explained that compliance is essential to ensuring Ghana produces the right number of healthcare professionals required to meet the country’s healthcare needs.
The Ministry also announced the expansion of specialist nursing education across the country with the introduction of new post-basic nursing programmes in Critical Care, Emergency, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, and Oncology Nursing.
According to Achampong, the programmes are currently being offered at five pioneer institutions, namely the Nursing and Midwifery Training College and Perioperative and Critical Care School, both in Korle Bu, the Nursing and Midwifery Training College in Kumasi, the ENT School in Kumasi, and the Nursing and Midwifery Training College in Tamale.
He disclosed that more than 500 students have already enrolled in the specialist programmes, while the Ministry targets 1,000 admissions annually over the next three years.
Also speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister for Health, Professor Grace Ayensu Danquah, called for transparent, objective and merit-based admission processes across all health training institutions.
She said maintaining uniform admission standards would strengthen public confidence in Ghana’s health education system and improve the quality of healthcare professionals graduating from the country’s institutions.
Danquah highlighted several government interventions aimed at strengthening health training institutions, including the prompt payment of trainee allowances, the introduction of 30 fully funded doctoral scholarships for health tutors, the creation of the Chief Health Tutor position, the rollout of Bachelor of Science programmes in 14 nursing training colleges, and a reduction in the cost of admission forms.
Meanwhile, Achampong announced that promotion interviews for staff in health training institutions will now be conducted twice annually under the newly introduced 2026 Promotion Guidelines.
He said the new arrangement would reduce delays in staff career progression and ensure deserving personnel are promoted without unnecessary waiting periods.
The Ministry noted that compliance with admission quotas and timelines will be closely monitored during the ongoing 2026 admission exercise, warning that institutions found violating the guidelines could face administrative sanctions.
The government said the measures form part of broader efforts to strengthen nursing and health professional education while ensuring Ghana develops a well-trained workforce capable of meeting the country’s growing healthcare demands.
