The Ministry of Health has declared that 6,245 nurses and midwives have been successfully recruited from a total of 6,500 available positions as part of a recent nationwide recruitment initiative aimed at enhancing primary healthcare delivery, especially in underserved communities.
This recruitment is a component of the government’s extensive free primary healthcare initiative, which is intended to assign trained professionals to regions facing significant staffing shortages to enhance access to vital health services.
In total, the Ministry has obtained financial approval from the Ministry of Finance to recruit approximately 8,000 health professionals, in light of a backlog of around 105,000 unemployed yet qualified health workers throughout the nation.
Alongside the nurses and midwives, the recruitment process also included the hiring of 771 out of 900 allied health professionals, 235 out of 250 pharmacy professionals, and 300 physician assistants.
During a press conference in Accra, Frederick Mensah-Acheampong, the Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, stated that while there are still about 87 nursing positions unfilled in the Northern districts, the recruitment exercise has been highly competitive due to the substantial number of qualified applicants.
He emphasized that the recruitment initiative is aligned with the government’s Primary Healthcare policy, which prioritizes preventive care, community-based services, and the enhancement of primary healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved regions.
“We have received financial clearance to recruit around 8,000 health professionals from the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry recognizes the concern and interest these recruitment initiatives have sparked, especially considering the backlog of about 105,000 unemployed health professionals, some of whom have been waiting for recruitment since 2018 and 2019,” he remarked.
Mr. Mensah-Acheampong also mentioned that a mop-up exercise will be organized in the upcoming weeks to accommodate eligible applicants who were unable to finalize the recruitment process.
