Ghana Health Minister defends nursing school admission quotas

Ghanaian Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has defended the implementation of strict admission quotas for nursing and midwifery training institutions. The policy aims to address a significant imbalance between student intake and employment opportunities. Akandoh stated that the country currently admits between 50,000 and 60,000 trainees annually, yet recruits only approximately 10,000 graduates into the workforce.

The government intends to reduce the current backlog of trained but unemployed nurses to approximately 40,000 before considering an increase in admissions. Akandoh noted that while the government has cleared outstanding student allowances, the primary challenge has shifted from funding education to providing actual jobs.

The minister specifically criticized private training colleges for admitting students beyond their capacity without sufficient regulation, which he described as becoming a burden on the state. He cited instances where institutions allegedly exceeded their allocated quotas, leading to the suspension of certain college principals.