The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives of Ghana has commended the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, for his intervention to resolve salary arrears owed to health professionals recruited in 2024.
President of the Coalition, Stephen Kwadwo Takyia, led a delegation to the Ministry of Health to express appreciation to the Minister and officials for their efforts in addressing the group’s employment and salary concerns.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr. Akandoh explained that the affected nurses and midwives began working without financial clearance, creating challenges for the government.
He said the Ministry, rather than withdrawing their appointments, decided to retain the workers while engaging the Ministry of Finance to secure the necessary funding.
According to the Minister, financial clearance has now been secured for all 13,500 affected health workers, with more than 99 percent having already received their salaries.
He directed the Ministry’s Human Resource Directorate to urgently address the few remaining cases.
Mr. Akandoh also directed health-sector agencies to speed up the issuance of appointment letters and the mechanisation of newly recruited health professionals.
He said the measures are intended to ensure that newly recruited workers are captured on the government payroll promptly and do not face prolonged salary delays.
Looking ahead, the Minister disclosed that government plans to recruit 16,000 health professionals in 2026.
He said financial clearance has already been secured for the first 8,000 recruits, while efforts are underway to secure clearance for the remaining 8,000 before recruitment begins.
Mr. Akandoh said the approach would help prevent a recurrence of the salary arrears that affected the 2024 recruits.
The Health Minister further directed all newly recruited health professionals to report to their assigned facilities by August 20, 2026.
He warned that those who fail to report by the deadline risk losing their appointments.
The Minister also urged health professionals to serve with dedication and treat patients with respect and dignity, stressing that patients must remain at the centre of healthcare delivery.
For their part, members of the Coalition expressed optimism that the resolution of the payment challenges would bring an end to their prolonged struggle.
They thanked the Ministry for its continued engagement and said they hoped the group would soon no longer be identified as the Coalition of “Unpaid” Nurses and Midwives.
