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October 20, 2025
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December 2, 2025
Published
December 29, 2025
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Abstract

Ghana’s health system has been confronted with persistent human, material resource and governance challenges, straining service delivery. These problems include issues of the “no bed syndrome,” difficulties with access to dialysis care, brain drain, and the enigma of jobless nurses amid health workforce shortages. Delays in engaging pharmacists, unpaid house officers, and bureaucratic hurdles that characterized the clearing of Global Fund–donated products further exposed the hidden cracks in systemic inefficiencies. The “No Bed Syndrome” mirrors not only inadequate infrastructure but also the gaps embedded within patient flow and referral mechanisms. Dialysis care, long hampered by exorbitant costs and access impediments, has recently been included in the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme’s package of care, amid questions on sustainability. Economic constraints and difficult working conditions fuel health worker migration, while many skilled nurses remain unemployed due to delays in financial clearance. Similarly, problems within the pharmacy workforce echo breaches in planning and fiscal management. Addressing these health system vulnerabilities requires local investment, streamlined clearance processes, enhanced compensation, stronger primary healthcare, transparent, and accountable policies to build a robust, fair system.

Keywords

Health system challenges Ghana No Bed Syndrome Brain Drain Chronic diseases

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Copyright (c) 2025 Bridget Boatemaa Boahen, Mark Anum Nortey

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Bridget Boatemaa Boahen, Sunyani Teaching Hospital, Ghana

Bridget Boatemaa Boahen is a clinical pharmacist at Sunyani Teaching Hospital in Ghana. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi -Ghana; Master of Public Health degree from Catholic University, Ghana; and a member of the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists.

She has professional experience spanning clinical pharmacy practice, child and maternal health, public health, and pharmacovigilance. Her work focuses on improving patient-centered pharmaceutical care, strengthening medication safety systems, and supporting public health interventions within hospital and community settings. Her research interests include maternal and child health, pharmacovigilance, and clinical pharmacy practice in resource-limited settings.

Mark Anum Nortey , African Institute for Global Health Advocacy and Sustainable Development, Ghana

Mark Anum Nortey is an Executive Director at the African Institute for Global Health Advocacy and Sustainable Development, Accra, Ghana. He is also affiliated with the University of Ghana, School of Public Health. He holds degrees in pharmacy from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Professional Studies, Accra, and a Master of Public Health from the University of Ghana School of Public Health. He is a Global Health Professional and Health Systems & Policy Advocate with experience in research, program management, and health policy analysis. His work and research interests focus on strengthening health systems, digital health, noncommunicable diseases, and improving public health policy formulation and implementation across Africa.

How to Cite
Boahen, B. B., & Nortey , M. A. (2025). Ghana’s Healthcare Crossroads: A Five-Year Analysis of Systemic Challenges, Media Discourse, and Policy Responses (2020-2025). Pan-African Journal of Health and Environmental Science, 4(2), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.56893/ajhes2025v04i02.06
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