Newly employed doctors given December 12 deadline to report as Health Ministry clears nurses’ salary arrears
The Ministry of Health has given newly posted doctors who are yet to report to their duty stations until Friday, December 12, 2025, to do so.
In a statement issued on Wednesday [December 3, 2025], the ministry said more than 6,000 newly recruited nurses whose salaries were in arrears have since been paid.
The payments, the ministry said cover the entire group of 13,500 nurses recruited across the country.
The ministry said the disbursements cleared the administrative delays that left many of the nurses without pay for several months.
The ministry acknowledged the medical officers who have already reported to their assigned stations and urged those who have not yet done so to take advantage of the extended deadline.
Mr Tony Goodman, the Head of Health Training Institutions and spokesperson for the ministry, said the additional time was to give officers enough room to report and help balance the health workforce across the regions.
The ministry explained that the recent postings are not intended to punish anyone.
It said the allocations are meant to support a fair spread of health professionals nationwide.
The statement said, “The Ministry of Health wishes to reiterate that the postings are not punitive, but rather a measure to achieve fair deployment of health professionals.”
Families of newly posted medical officers have been encouraged to support them to accept and adapt to their duty stations, especially in areas that have long struggled to attract health workers.
Local government authorities have also been asked to assist by providing accommodation, transport support and other basic amenities.
Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives are expected to extend such support within their jurisdictions to help medical officers and other health workers settle and remain in their posts.
The ministry said this directive follows its Human Resource Posting Guidelines, which allow for incentives to be offered to officers who accept postings in rural and underserved areas.
Although some medical officers have raised concerns about their postings, the ministry said it will not revise the recent allocations.
The statement said, “The Ministry further emphasises that no changes will be made to the recent postings.”
The ministry said it remains committed to improving the country’s health workforce and promoting fair access to quality healthcare in all regions.
The ministry warned that medical officers who do not report by December 12 risk losing their postings, as the government continues efforts to deal with the uneven distribution of health workers that has left many rural communities without adequate services.
