The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has assured the last batch of unpaid nurses that their outstanding salaries will soon be settled.

In a statement, the Minister expressed sympathy for the affected health workers, stressing that “no worker should be engaged without valid financial clearance,” and noting that this issue largely accounts for the delays in salary payments.

He explained that while the Ministry of Health received financial clearance in August 2024 to recruit about 13,500 nurses, the clearance expired in December of the same year, leaving many newly posted nurses without salary provisions.

“Instead of asking them to stay home, the current government allowed the nurses to continue working while provisions were made for their payment,” the statement read.

So far, more than 7,000 nurses have been paid, with about 6,500 still awaiting payment. The Minister assured that steps are being taken in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance to resolve the matter fully.

He further noted that similar salary delays had previously affected pharmacists who began their housemanship in 2023, as well as some medical house officers who started their postings in 2024. Both groups have since received their payments.

Rotation nurses and allied health interns who began their service in 2024 but did not receive allowances were also assured that their concerns would be addressed soon.

“Government is adopting every pragmatic approach to deal with challenges of this nature in the health sector,” the Minister said, emphasising that the welfare of health workers remains a top priority as the government works to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare system.