A laboratory manager at the Zuarungu Health Centre, Emmanuel Bewone, has raised fresh concerns over a growing mismatch in Ghana’s health sector, where trained biomedical laboratory professionals remain unemployed while health facilities struggle with severe staff shortages.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s DayBreak Upper East on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to mark International Biomedical Laboratory Scientist Day, Bewone described the situation as both “frustrating and dangerous” for healthcare delivery.
“We have many colleagues who have completed school, are licensed, and have stayed at home for years without employment,” he said. “Meanwhile, the few of us in the system are overwhelmed.”
His concerns add to earlier calls by health professionals for policy reforms and stronger regulation within the laboratory sector, including the establishment of a dedicated Medical Laboratory Council.
Overstretched workforce, rising burnout
Bewone painted a worrying picture of staffing levels across the Upper East Region, where some laboratories are operated by just one or two professionals, far below required capacity.
“In most facilities here, you may find only one person handling the entire laboratory. At the district hospital level, you might have just three or four staff. It’s not enough,” he said.
The consequences, he noted, include frequent service disruptions, long waiting times and staff burnout.
“Sometimes when patients come, the lab may be closed, not because we don’t want to work, but because people are overworked. They need rest, they go on leave, and there’s no one to replace them,” he said.
Call for targeted recruitment
Bewone is urging the government and local authorities to prioritise the recruitment of biomedical laboratory professionals to ease pressure on existing staff and improve service delivery.
“We’ve seen recruitment in other areas, and we are pleading that laboratory professionals should be included. This is critical to healthcare,” he said.
He warned that failure to act could further strain an already fragile diagnostic system, which plays a central role in disease detection, treatment and public health management.
Beyond celebration: a call to action
International Biomedical Laboratory Scientist Day, established in 1996 by the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science, is intended to highlight the vital role laboratory professionals play in healthcare.
The 2026 theme, “Biomedical Laboratory Scientists Promoting Sustainability in Clinical Diagnostics”, underscores the importance of innovation and efficiency. However, Bewone said the focus must also shift to workforce planning and policy implementation.
“If government invests in employing the trained professionals already available, it will not only reduce our workload but also ensure that patients receive timely and reliable diagnostic services,” he said.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Seidu Mutawakil | Bolgatanga
