Minister for Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says the government is actively working to clear the backlog of over 70,000 qualified but unemployed health workers across the country.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series held at Jubilee House on Friday, July 18, the Minister highlighted the challenge facing Ghana’s healthcare workforce.

“We recognise the challenge of over 70,000 qualified health workers currently awaiting employment, but I want to assure you that we are working tirelessly to clear this backlog,” he said.

The Minister reported that progress is already being made. “In the past six months alone, we have successfully finalised the employment process of over 10,000 nurses and midwives, with many more to come,” he announced.

The minister said the government is not only focused on recruitment but also on ensuring health professionals are supported in their roles. “Our biggest asset in healthcare is our people, the dedicated nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, pharmacists, and all supporting staff who serve Ghana every day,” he noted.

On pharmacists, the Health Minister explained that measures have been taken to address salary delays and hiring needs. “We have taken decisive steps to clear the salary arrears for 321 Pharmacist House Officers who completed training in 2024, with payments now being processed,” he said.

“While 1,621 qualified pharmacists await permanent employment, we are prioritising their recruitment as part of strengthening our health workforce.”

In addition to local hiring, he revealed that Ghana is exploring opportunities abroad for surplus health workers. “Over 13 countries have now expressed interest in recruiting Ghanaian health workers,” he said.

“We are formulating policies to ensure these benefits are fairly distributed to both our health system and our professionals.”

To further develop the health workforce, the minister highlighted government investments in education and training.

“We are revamping the curricula at our training institutions to address population health needs, increasing intake for specialist nursing programmes, and transforming general nursing schools into specialised training centres,” he said.

“We have guided more than 40 nursing, midwifery, and allied health colleges through the accreditation process to offer degree programmes alongside their existing diploma courses a significant step forward for quality education,” he added.

To improve access, the Ministry of Health has also launched an online application platform. “We launched a new admissions portal for health training institutions that allows applicants to apply from the comfort of their homes,” he added.