A coalition representing over 7,000 nurses and midwives has submitted a petition to the Ministry of Health, demanding urgent action over unpaid salaries spanning up to 10 months, despite having received formal financial clearance before assuming duty.

In a press statement, the group, calling itself the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives Ghana, says its members were officially recruited via the ministry’s online portal, with some commencing work as early as December 2024, and others in January 2025.

Nearly a year on, many of them claim they have not received a single salary payment.

“We have worked without pay for nine to ten months, even though we were cleared financially before starting,” the petition states. “Our dignity and survival are now at stake.”

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The coalition is challenging recent public statements made by the Ministry of Health, which claimed that 7,000 out of 13,500 newly recruited nurses had been paid, and that payments for the remainder were being processed.

“We demand full disclosure with documentary evidence to back your claims,” the petition states. “We deserve transparency and accountability.”

In their submission to the ministry, the coalition outlined three key demands:

1. Clear timelines for the payment of all outstanding salaries;
2. An explanation as to how financial clearance could allegedly “expire” after recruitment had already been completed;
3. An account of why some recruits were paid under the same financial clearance while others were not.

The nurses and midwives accused the ministry of failing to offer any coherent communication or justification for the disparities in salary disbursement and warned that the situation is becoming untenable.

“We have sacrificed in silence, but this is no longer sustainable,” the statement read. “We are keeping the health system running under unbearable conditions, but enough is enough.”

The coalition appealed to the Ministry of Health, urging immediate action to resolve months-long salary arrears affecting thousands of healthcare workers across the country.

“We respectfully urge you to act immediately to restore justice, fairness, and hope to the thousands of nurses and midwives sustaining the health system.”