The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of failing to match its healthcare promises with adequate funding, warning that continued underinvestment could worsen Ghana’s healthcare challenges.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, July 29, a member of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, said the government’s 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review reveals a significant gap between its health sector commitments and the resources allocated to achieve them.
The Abuakwa South MP argued that healthcare spending should be viewed as a long-term investment in the country’s development rather than an expense to be reduced.
He stressed that a healthy population is essential for economic growth and national progress.
“The implication of not spending in the health sector is that we cannot have quality healthcare. When you don’t have healthcare, you don’t have a nation because people drive value. You cannot underestimate the quality of your people. The best standard for every country is to maintain a healthy population,” he stated.
Dr. Agyemang also blamed inadequate funding for the decline in public health education campaigns, particularly those focused on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
He said reduced government investment in awareness programmes on television, radio, and other media has weakened access to vital health information and increased public health risks.
“You remember HIV cases have increased. It is all because access to condoms and the promotion of HIV awareness have become a problem. After all, the government is not spending. When was the last time you saw a government-sponsored health promotion advertisement on television?” he questioned.
He further expressed concern over the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, arguing that inadequate investment in prevention and early detection is putting more lives at risk.
The lawmaker also questioned the government’s ability to sustain key health sector commitments, including the payment of nursing training allowances.
According to him, only about 30 percent of the allocated funds have been utilised, raising concerns that trainee nurses may not receive their allowances on time.
“The only budget line that appears to be up to date is compensation because workers have to be paid. But when it comes to the Nursing Training Allowance, only about 30 per cent has been utilised. If you are a nursing trainee watching me, it is straightforward that your allowances may not be paid because it will be difficult to complete the payments before the end of the year,” he asserted.
Dr. Agyemang also criticised delays in releasing funds to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), arguing that uncapping the National Health Insurance Fund will achieve little if the approved resources are not disbursed to healthcare providers.
“There was no point in uncapping the National Health Insurance Fund if the money is not released. A budget allocation on paper is meaningless unless the finance minister actually releases the funds for healthcare delivery,” he stressed.
