Scholarships and the Healthcare Human Resources Crisis: A case study of Soviet and Russian scholarships for medical students from Ghana

Scholarships for study in the former Soviet Union were offered to students in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and across the developing world. Many of these scholarships were used to study medicine, and the health workforces of many sub-Saharan African countries now contain a significant number of Soviet-trained doctors – though they remain critically understaffed. The Russian programme, previously reduced, is now expanding again. Using Ghana as an example, this case study aims to establish just what impact these programmes have had on healthcare systems and how they can be improved to benefit recipient countries.