Govt approves hiring of health workers: Thousands to be employed - Salary arrears to be paid next month
The Ministry of Health has secured approval from Cabinet to honour arrears of salaries and allowances of various health sector workers, including newly recruited medical doctors, nurses and midwives, from next month.
The approval and the subsequent financial clearance are expected to relieve thousands of existing and prospective staff.
The move will enable the government to recruit different categories of staff, including pharmacists, some of whom have remained unemployed for years after completing school.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said financial clearance had been secured for over 17,000 health professionals, including rotational nurses, midwives and allied health interns, who were affected by delayed postings and unpaid allowances.
The announcement is a major development that could lower agitations in the sector following protests, brief strikes and other forms of appeals in respect of salary arrears and delayed recruitment, among others.
“We had more than 17,000 rotational nurses and allied health professionals who did not have clearance as far as their rotation was concerned.
By the grace of God, we have secured clearance for these health professionals,” the minister said.
He added that the ministry had also resolved issues concerning 13,500 nurses and midwives whose financial clearance had expired before their postings in December 2024.
Out of the number, over 7,000 had already been paid, while the salaries of the remaining 6,500 were being processed for payment, the minister said.
Mr Akandoh said the delayed salary issue for a batch of 883 medical house officers who started their house job in 2024 had been resolved, and they are currently on salaries.
“About 800 medical doctors who had finished their housemanship were still at home without clearance. As I speak to you now, the Ministry of Finance has issued clearance, and all these doctors are going to start work with immediate effect,” he said.
Mr Akandoh said the Health Ministry, working with the Ministry of Finance, had also obtained clearance for the 203 medical doctors who were employed late last year but never had their salaries processed.
These, he said, were part of the resolved salaries and other relevant payment issues for thousands of health workers under the Ministry of Health.
Mr Akandoh said a similar situation affected 321 pharmacists who started their housemanship in 2023, which they completed in early 2024, but were never paid.
“The ministry has since worked with the Ministry of Finance on their allowances and paid them accordingly,” he said.
Measures
Mr Akandoh assured health workers and stakeholders that measures have been put in place as part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s health system and ensure the welfare of health workers to avoid such mishaps in the future.
He encouraged all affected staff to remain calm, continue to serve diligently and channel any concerns through the appropriate authorities for prompt redress.
Background
The development responds to a recent petition submitted to the Ministry of Health by nurses and midwives who protested in Accra over months of unpaid salaries and delayed postings.
The demonstration saw hundreds of health workers march to the ministry to demand the payment of arrears and the release of financial clearance.
They complained that despite completing their training and national service, they had not been placed on the government payroll, leaving many in financial distress.
Their petition urged the government to address the persistent delays in salary processing and postings that had long plagued the health sector.
