Kwesi Dugbatey received his MD from the University of Dusseldorf, Germany and a Diploma in Aviation Medicine from the Royal Air Force School of Aviation Medicine, Farnborough, UK. Later on, he received an MPH and a PhD in Health Services Research from St. Louis University, focusing on Health Policy. He also became a Fellow of Ghana College of Physicians in 2011.

From 1971 until 1981, he had been in clinical medical practice in various capacities in Germany, Ghana, the UK and Togo. Earlier on while in Ghana, he served in the military and his work included administrative responsibilities, even at the national level. For a period under a military regime, he successfully managed the Ghana national health system, with full oversight responsibility for national, regional, and district health administrations.