Concerns have been raised by the Ministry of Health over the increasing number of unemployed health workers, with part of the blame being placed on the unregulated expansion of private health training institutions.

The concern was raised following a call by the Parliamentary Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources for the Ministry of Finance to release funds to enable the immediate posting of over 2,000 Environmental Health Officer graduates who have remained unposted since 2021. Their deployment is seen as crucial in addressing the country’s deteriorating sanitation situation.

It has also been observed that numerous trained health professionals, spanning various specialisations, have similarly remained unposted since 2021.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, 29th May 2025, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Mr Tony Goodman, noted that large numbers of students are continually being admitted by private institutions without alignment to the actual staffing needs of the health sector.

It was emphasised that health professionals are trained by the Ministry based on identified regional and national requirements, a demand-driven model that is reportedly not adhered to by many private institutions.

As a result, the current backlog of nearly 100,000 unemployed health workers has been attributed, in part, to this misalignment, with some individuals said to have remained without employment for as long as five years.

According to Mr Goodman, “It would be suicidal if everyone were to be recruited within a single year. Close to 100,000 individuals are at home, having not been employed for up to five years. It is, therefore, not feasible to recruit all of them within one year.”

He explained that numerous private training institutions, driven by the need to sustain operations and ensure profitability, have admitted large cohorts of students, graduated them, and then expected the Ministry of Health to absorb them.