Accra, Ghana – September 2025 — The Korle Bu Health Workers Exodus has reached alarming proportions, with nearly 300 skilled professionals resigning between January and June 2025. The figure, confirmed by Dr. Harry Akoto, Deputy Medical Director of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, underscores the deepening attrition crisis in Ghana’s health sector.
Dr. Akoto revealed the numbers during a recent assessment visit by the opposition’s Mahama Cares team, warning that the country’s largest referral hospital is losing some of its most experienced staff at an unsustainable rate.
“What we are losing are highly skilled and specialised professionals — not fresh graduates,” Dr. Akoto stressed. “This is the galamsey of healthcare. We are losing quality in a very silent but destructive way.”
ICU Nurses Among the Hardest Hit
According to hospital authorities, Korle Bu is losing an average of 50 intensive care unit (ICU) nurses each month. These professionals are essential in managing emergencies, surgical recoveries, and complex maternal cases. Their departure places a severe strain on patient safety and the hospital’s capacity to respond to critical situations.
Reports from 3News, and GBC Ghana Online confirm that the shortage is now visibly affecting operations. Patients requiring emergency surgery or intensive monitoring face extended waiting times, while those admitted often contend with overworked nurses who are stretched beyond their limits.
Why Are Korle Bu Health Workers Leaving?
The Korle Bu Health Workers Exodus is being driven by several interlinked factors:
- Migration abroad – Countries like the UK, US, Canada, and Gulf States are attracting Ghanaian health workers with higher salaries, improved working conditions, and structured career pathways.
- Low remuneration – Ghana’s rising cost of living has eroded the real value of public sector salaries, leaving many workers struggling to make ends meet.
- Heavy workload – The exodus itself worsens the workload for those who remain, creating a cycle of burnout and further attrition.
- Limited career progression – Health professionals frequently express frustration about stalled promotions and lack of incentives for further training.
National Picture: A Widening Gap
The Korle Bu crisis reflects a broader national dilemma. Ghana invests heavily in training nurses and doctors, but the health sector struggles to absorb them effectively. The Ministry of Health has admitted that tens of thousands of trained professionals remain unemployed or unposted, even as hospitals battle crippling shortages.
This paradox of oversupply and scarcity points to systemic inefficiencies: while some graduates remain idle, highly trained specialists in service are leaving for better opportunities abroad. Analysts warn that without urgent policy reforms, the Korle Bu Health Workers Exodus could become the template for a nationwide collapse in critical services.
Government Response and Calls for Urgent Action
Health policy experts and unions are demanding targeted interventions to stem the Korle Bu Health Workers Exodus:
- Retention packages — Offering competitive allowances for critical staff such as ICU nurses, anesthetists, and specialists.
- Bilateral agreements — Negotiating frameworks with receiving countries to ensure ethical recruitment and compensation for Ghana.
- Infrastructure investment — Upgrading equipment and facilities to improve job satisfaction.
- Faster recruitment — Streamlining postings for unemployed nurses and doctors to ease the burden on overstretched hospitals.
So far, government responses have been piecemeal, with critics warning that unless retention strategies are prioritised, Ghana could lose its capacity to deliver specialised healthcare.
The Silent Toll on Patients
The departure of 300 Korle Bu health workers has already begun to affect patients and families. Delays in surgeries, reduced access to specialists, and longer waiting times are becoming the norm. In ICUs, where one nurse may now be responsible for multiple critical patients, the risks to patient outcomes have increased significantly.
Dr. Akoto’s warning that the migration wave is the “silent galamsey” of healthcare reflects a growing sense of urgency among medical leaders. If left unchecked, the Korle Bu Health Workers Exodus could cripple Ghana’s flagship hospital and accelerate a wider collapse in the nation’s ability to provide advanced medical care.
