The Ministry of Health has dismissed claims that Ghana is training medical doctors only to abandon them after graduation, insisting that established recruitment arrangements are in place to facilitate their transition from housemanship into permanent employment.
The Ministry says it is currently recruiting the 36th batch of Medical Officers and Dentists while preparing to open recruitment for the 37th batch, whose members have recently obtained permanent registration from the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana.
In a statement issued on November 5, 2026, the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Tony Goodman, said the recruitment process was designed to ensure that newly qualified doctors and dentists move into permanent employment immediately after completing their mandatory two-year housemanship.
Mr Goodman explained that the Ministry, working with the Ministry of Finance, had established procedures to facilitate a seamless transition from housemanship into permanent employment.
He said the current recruitment approach also prioritises the identification of actual vacancies in health facilities before applications are opened, rather than recruiting and posting medical personnel without considering existing staffing needs.
“Recruitment and placement are guided by identified vacancies and approved staffing norms rather than an indiscriminate posting of doctors without due consideration of the staffing needs of health facilities,” he stated.
The Ministry’s response follows claims circulating on social media that Ghana continues to train doctors but leaves them unemployed for extended periods after graduation because of delays in recruitment.
However, Mr Goodman said such claims failed to adequately reflect the processes governing medical training, housemanship and recruitment in the country.
He clarified that housemanship is a structured, two-year mandatory practical training programme for newly qualified medical doctors and dentists, with the first year undertaken at secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities and the second year providing practical exposure at the district level.
He further disclosed that three batches of medical doctors had commenced their housemanship at different times in 2026, depending on their respective graduation dates and completion of the necessary processes.
According to him, financial clearance for the entire two-year housemanship programme is secured before trainees begin their first year, eliminating the need for separate financial clearance to progress into the second year.
Mr Goodman also defended the regulatory framework governing medical education and professional practice, stating that the Medical and Dental Council oversees the accreditation of medical training institutions as well as the registration and regulation of doctors, dentists and house officers.
He maintained that suggestions that medical training and housemanship in Ghana were unregulated or disorganised did not reflect the existing regulatory arrangements.
The Ministry acknowledged, however, that training doctors must go beyond increasing the number of graduates to creating sustainable opportunities for their employment, deployment and retention.
It said it remained committed to ensuring that qualified medical professionals were given opportunities to serve, particularly in underserved and deprived communities where their services were most needed.
The Ministry added that it would continue working with the Ministry of Finance, the Medical and Dental Council and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen recruitment and distribution arrangements to ensure that investment in medical education translates into improved healthcare delivery.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
