The Ministry of Health has announced that it has successfully resolved a significant number of outstanding salary and employment issues inherited within the health sector. In a press briefing today, the sector minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, outlined the Ministry’s efforts, assuring affected personnel and the public that the challenges are being dealt with decisively.
He confirmed major strides in resolving long-standing issues concerning junior doctors and pharmacists. He noted that a batch of 883 medical house officers who began their house jobs in 2024 without payment have now had their issues fully resolved and are actively receiving salaries.
Additionally, he affirmed that clearance issues for 203 Doctors, employed late last year but whose salaries were never processed, have been resolved in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance. Approval was also recently secured for the recruitment of approximately 800 Doctors who had completed their housemanship the previous year and were awaiting clearance to be posted.
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh reported a similar situation affecting 321 pharmacists who completed their housemanship between 2023 and early 2024 without pay, which has since been addressed, with the Ministry working with the Ministry of Finance to pay their outstanding allowances.
The Minister also detailed the Ministry’s plan to clear a backlog of allowances for interns and fully resolve the issue of nurses and midwives with expired clearances. Akandoh stated that a total of 15,755 rotation nurses and midwives and 2,154 allied health interns, nearly 18,000 personnel who were posted in 2024 and completed their service early this year did not receive their allowances.
According to him, while this has often been the sector’s norm, the Ministry is committed to ending it. He announced that all outstanding payments will be made starting from next month, and current cohorts of rotation nurses and allied health interns will begin receiving their monthly allowances on schedule.
Regarding the widely reported case of 13,500 nurses and midwives whose financial clearance had expired in December 2024 before their posting, the government had already processed payments for over 7,000 of them. The Minister confirmed that, with government support, clearance has been obtained for the payment of all the remaining 6,500.
“In collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health initiated a comprehensive validation and reconciliation exercise to ensure that all affected individuals are captured and paid without delay,” he stated.
“I am happy to announce that, with the support of the government, clearance has been obtained for the payment of all the remaining 6,500. The Ministry has instructed that the processes for the payments of these officers start immediately without delay at the various agencies of the Ministry,” he said.
The Minister summarised the administration’s efforts since taking over in 2025, stating they have worked diligently to eliminate immediate recruitment issues. He highlighted the payment of the 883 house officers employed in 2024, the clearance for 203 doctors, and the financial clearance secured for the 800 medical doctors who completed their housemanship in 2024 but remained at home.
He also pointed to the clearance and payment for the 321 pharmacists, the financial clearance secured for the 17,909 nurses, midwives, and allied health interns who started their national service in early 2024, and the financial clearance secured for the 13,500 recruited and posted late last year whose clearance had expired.
The Ministry assured all health workers and stakeholders that new measures are being implemented as part of a broader agenda to strengthen Ghana’s health system and ensure the welfare of its workforce, specifically to prevent similar mishaps in the future. He encouraged personnel to “remain calm, continue to serve diligently, and channel any concerns through the appropriate authorities for prompt redress.”
Story: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
