At the Ninth JEAM Leadership Lecture Series held at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, urgent calls were made for Ghana to take decisive steps in strengthening its health system in the face of global financial and health disruptions.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute and Vice President for Global Delivery at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, warned that Ghana must prepare to self-finance its immunization programmes as it approaches graduation from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) by 2030. With that shift, the country will be required to raise $51 million annually to sustain the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), previously supported by donors.
Dr. Sodzi-Tettey described this development as a major stress test for Ghana’s health sector. “Amidst these global disruptions, including over 176,000 job losses in the health sector by May this year alone, Ghana must act urgently,” he cautioned. He noted that critical research on child health and healthcare workforce development has been stalled, further compounding the nation’s public health challenges.
He emphasized that although Ghana has developed robust health security frameworks — including strategic pandemic preparedness plans, multi-hazard risk assessments, and comprehensive immunization programs — the country continues to suffer from fragmented budget allocations, inconsistent policy enforcement, and heavy dependence on external aid.
A major gap highlighted in the assessment was Ghana’s limited capacity to respond to emergencies due to persistent shortages in skilled health personnel, especially in radiological, chemical, and veterinary health fields, and a lack of national surge workforce plans. Laboratory infrastructure and data systems at lower-tier health facilities also remain underdeveloped, threatening timely disease surveillance and response.
Dr. Sodzi-Tettey advocated for accelerated reforms to address these weaknesses and ensure long-term resilience. “To advance quality health systems amidst global disruptions, Ghana must address its human resource deficits, enhance laboratory capabilities, and invest in data systems and cross-border health collaboration,” he stressed.
The lecture also honored the legacy of the late President Professor John Evans Atta Mills, founder of UHAS, who was remembered as a visionary leader committed to academic excellence and healthcare development. Dr. Sodzi-Tettey praised President Mills’ foresight in establishing UHAS as Ghana’s premier health training institution in 2011 — a vision that has now borne fruit with the university’s rising national and global reputation.
Vice Chancellor Prof Lydia Aziato reaffirmed UHAS’s commitment to upholding its founding ideals. “What we are witnessing is not just growth but the living realization of President Mills’ dream, continuously evolving and setting new standards,” she said.
The forum was attended by a cross-section of Ghana’s academic and political community, including the new Governing Council Chairperson, Prof Kodzo Gavua; Foundation Vice Chancellor Prof Fred Newton Binka; students and alumni, all gathered to reflect on the legacy of a president who believed in empowering the youth through quality education in health sciences.
