The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has urged the government to focus on practical solutions to the challenges confronting Ghana’s health sector instead of lamenting the situation.

Contributing to a statement on the challenges facing health facilities and health professionals on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the legislator noted that Ghana’s health sector problems have evolved over the years and now require decisive policy actions.

“Mr Speaker, our problem in the past was brain drain, but today the issue is that we are not able to employ more doctors and other healthcare professionals,” he stated.

According to him, previous governments implemented several policies that helped address challenges within the health sector and should be acknowledged when discussing the current situation.

“Mr Speaker, we must take into account how previous governments have helped to solve problems in the health sector,” he said.

He explained that when John Agyekum Kufuor assumed office, his administration introduced several incentives to improve the welfare of health professionals and curb brain drain.

“When President Kufuor took office, he introduced the Extra Duty Allowance to enable health workers to earn more income. He also granted them import duty concessions at the ports and introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme, which had a ripple effect of bringing more money into the health sector and helping to curb brain drain,” he recounted.

The Manhyia South MP also pointed out that the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Mahamudu Bawumia introduced the Agenda 111 initiative to expand healthcare infrastructure across the country.

“The Akufo-Addo government introduced Agenda 111 to build more health facilities across the country so that more health professionals can be employed,” he added.

Awuah stressed that the current government has been given a strong mandate by Ghanaians and should therefore make bold decisions to address the issues confronting the sector.

“Mr Speaker, today the NDC government has about 189 Members of Parliament, and about 57 percent of Ghanaians voted for them to make bold decisions,” he stated.

He cautioned that Parliament should not become a platform for lamenting problems but rather a place for proposing solutions.

“If there is a problem, this is not the time for lamentations but the time for solutions. Fix the problem; do not come to Parliament to lament,” he stressed.

Touching on the Agenda 111 programme, he described it as a “brilliant initiative” that must be completed to create employment opportunities for health professionals.

“Mr Speaker, the government inherited Agenda 111, which was a brilliant idea by the Nana Addo and Dr Bawumia government. The NDC government must therefore complete it so that our physicians can have places to work,” he said.

Awuah also questioned the government’s budgetary priorities, pointing out that while GH¢100 million had been allocated to Agenda 111 in the 2026 budget, a larger amount had been allocated for sanitary pads.

“Mr Speaker, in this year’s budget, an amount of GH¢100 million was allocated to Agenda 111, while GH¢200 million was allocated for sanitary pads. The problem is therefore a matter of policy choices,” he argued.

He maintained that Ghana’s challenges are not due to helplessness but rather a matter of prioritisation.

“Ghana is not a country of helplessness; it is a problem of priorities by the NDC government. You can fix it with your budget instead of reading statements on the floor of Parliament and lamenting,” he said.

The MP concluded with a strong call for the government to demonstrate its commitment through policy decisions.

“Use your budget to fix it and show your commitment and priorities, not lamentations, because the Book of Lamentations in the Bible has already been written,” he remarked.