The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has reassured nurses who are yet to receive their salaries of the government’s firm commitment to resolving the matter without further delay.
Speaking on the issue, the Minister acknowledged the frustrations of the affected health workers and expressed deep sympathy for their situation, stressing that no employee should be engaged without proper financial clearance. He explained that this has been the root cause of the salary delays.
According to the Ministry, in August 2024, financial clearance was granted to recruit about 13,500 nurses. However, the clearance expired in December 2024. As a result, while the previous government went ahead to post the nurses, there was no financial provision in place to cover their salaries.
Akandoh explained that instead of asking the nurses to stay at home, the current administration decided to allow them to continue working while measures were taken to secure funding for their payment. He disclosed that, so far, more than 7,000 of the affected nurses have been paid, leaving about 6,500 awaiting payment.
“This government has made special concessions to ensure that these nurses are retained, and I want to assure them that all outstanding arrears will be addressed very soon,” the Minister emphasised.
The Ministry highlighted that similar challenges had affected other categories of health professionals in recent years. Pharmacists who began their housemanship in 2023 and completed it in early 2024 initially went without allowances, but their situation has since been rectified. Likewise, medical house officers who started their house jobs in 2024 have also had their arrears cleared. Rotation nurses and allied health interns who began their rotation in 2024 but did not receive allowances are also expected to be paid soon, the Minister assured.
On the matter of junior doctors, the Ministry noted that although all processes for their payment had been completed, they initially went unpaid due to administrative setbacks.
Akandoh reiterated that the government is committed to adopting pragmatic approaches to address salary delays and similar challenges in the health sector. He reaffirmed that the welfare of health workers remains a priority as the government continues to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare system.
By: Daniel Orlando/newsalertgh.com
