Ghana has enrolled nearly 500 nurses in its first post basic specialist degrees in cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology and oncology nursing as chronic disease accounts for nearly half of all deaths nationally.
The nurses were admitted at a joint matriculation ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic year under the Mahama Care Initiative, which draws from the Ghana Medical Trust Fund. The programme introduces those four new specialisms at post basic level for the first time while expanding existing training in emergency and critical care nursing across five selected institutions.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said non communicable diseases now account for about 45% of all deaths in Ghana, a figure consistent with data from the World Health Organization, which describes NCDs as responsible for nearly half of all deaths in the country. He said the rollout is a pioneering step toward building a workforce capable of treating conditions that were previously handled inadequately within Ghana’s public health system.
The five institutions delivering the new programmes are the Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges in Tamale, Kumasi and Korle-Bu, the Ear, Nose and Throat Nursing School in Kumasi, and the Perioperative and Critical Care Nursing School at Korle-Bu.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Grace Ayensu Danquah said the NCD burden, centred on diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and cancer, is rising because of late diagnosis and lifestyle changes. She called for stronger preventive care and early screening to reduce pressure on specialist facilities.
Mrs Faustina Excel Adipa, Principal of the Perioperative and Critical Care Nursing School, urged the students to remain disciplined throughout their training and described the programmes as a generational stake in Ghana’s health workforce.
