Government Approves Recruitment of 8,000 Health Workers

The Ministry of Finance has approved the recruitment of about 8,000 health professionals as part of efforts to reduce unemployment within Ghana’s healthcare sector and strengthen service delivery nationwide.

The announcement was made in Accra by the Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, Frederick Mensah-Acheampong, who acknowledged growing concerns over the large number of trained but unemployed health workers across the country.

According to him, more than 105,000 qualified health professionals have remained unemployed for years, with some waiting for placement since 2018 and 2019.

He explained that recruitment has already begun under the approved clearance. So far, 6,245 nurses and midwives have been employed out of 6,500 available positions. Additionally, 771 allied health professionals out of 900 slots, 235 pharmacy professionals out of 250 vacancies, and 300 physician assistants have also been recruited.

Mr. Mensah-Acheampong stated that the exercise aligns with the government’s Primary Healthcare policy, which focuses on preventive healthcare, community-level medical services, and improving healthcare access in deprived areas.

He further disclosed that although some nursing vacancies in Northern districts remain unfilled, the Ministry plans to conduct a mop-up exercise in the coming weeks to give qualified applicants another opportunity to complete the recruitment process.