Support Private Medical Schools – Prof Adei Urges Gov’t

Professor Emeritus Stephen Adei, Chairman of the Council at the Accra College of Medicine (ACM), is calling on the government to introduce a national policy that will properly support private tertiary institutions, especially private medical schools, to help train more health professionals for the country.

He made the call during the 6th Congregation and 10th Anniversary celebration of the Accra College of Medicine in Accra. According to him, private universities now play a major role in Ghana’s education sector, and government must work closely with them if the country wants to meet its growing need for trained professionals.

Prof Adei revealed that the University of Ghana Medical School received about 4,000 applications this year, but was able to admit only 150 students because of limited facilities and space. He said this huge gap between the number of qualified applicants and those who actually gain admission shows clearly that Ghana must rely on private medical institutions to support national training needs.

He noted that many brilliant and qualified students are denied the chance to study medicine simply because public universities do not have enough classrooms, laboratories, and hostels to take them in. According to him, private medical schools like the Accra College of Medicine are already helping to close this gap, but they need better government support, resources, and a proper national policy framework to strengthen their work.

Prof Adei explained that Ghana has more than 90 accredited private tertiary institutions, which proves that the private sector is ready and willing to contribute to national development. However, without a clear government policy, the impact of these institutions will remain limited.

He therefore urged the government to create a structured partnership with private medical schools so they can admit more students, share national training responsibilities, and help reduce the pressure on public universities. Such collaboration, he said, would allow Ghana to train more doctors, nurses, and other health workers to meet the increasing demand for healthcare services across the country.

Prof Adei added that supporting private medical institutions will also reduce the government’s financial burden of building new medical schools. Instead, the state can channel some resources into improving existing private institutions so they can expand their intake and produce more qualified medical professionals.

He concluded by saying that if Ghana wants to achieve strong healthcare delivery and prepare for future health challenges, then strengthening both public and private medical institutions must be a national priority.