Parliament approves GH¢15.2b for Health Ministry, GH¢8.7b to be spent on salaries

The Ghanaian Parliament has authorized a budget of GH15 billion for the Ministry of Health’s services in 2024.

Through labor market analysis, the Ministry is expected to prioritize the production, deployment, and retention of the health workforce, as well as focus on the local production of anti-snake venom and other vaccines, with the newly established National Vaccine Institute serving as its first step toward local vaccine production.

In addition, the Health Ministry intends to complete and commission some ongoing capital projects by the year 2024.

Dr. Ayew Afriyie, Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, raised worry about the large allocation for staff wages and other compensations and urged for actions to minimize the high attrition rate in the health sector.

“Mr. Speaker, the Ministry has approved a budget of GH¢15.2 billion. Out of this amount, GH¢8.7 billion was allocated for compensation. Almost 70 percent goes to human resources and compensation. If the health sector continues to spend more than 70 percent of its budget on human resources, then we are going nowhere.”

“Also, it is interesting to note that there is an interesting revelation as far as attrition is concerned because health professionals are leaving and so the Ministry should be up and doing with its clearance to recruit new staff.”