The Health Services Workers’ Union has raised concerns over the non-payment of its ‘13th-month salary’ agreed under the collective agreement, while warning of severe staff shortages in public health facilities across the country.

The Union says the shortages are placing excessive pressure on existing workers and affecting effective healthcare delivery.

According to the Union, workers who have completed 12 months of service are entitled to an additional month’s salary under their collective agreement.

However, it says the payment has remained outstanding since the agreement was reached with the employer.

The Union’s Principal Industrial Relations Officer, Jerry Detse Mensah-Pah, says the unpaid benefit is among several outstanding labour issues, including personnel placement and inadequate recruitment of non-clinical health workers.

“There is no way a doctor or a nurse can come to the facility and work alone,” he said.

He said major hospitals, including the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Koforidua Hospital and Ridge Hospital, require additional personnel to meet their operational demands.

According to him, recruitment has largely focused on doctors and nurses, leaving other essential categories of workers behind.

These include paramedics, disease control officers, administrative staff, security personnel, orderlies and labourers.

“Security officers, cleaners, orderlies and other support staff are all necessary for hospitals to function effectively,” he said.

The Union says the shortage has left existing workers overburdened, with some working excessively long hours and reportedly experiencing health challenges.

It has also criticised the use of internally generated funds to engage casual workers, arguing that such funding cannot provide sustainable employment or adequate conditions of service.

In the Ashanti Region, the Union’s Regional Chairperson, Esther Akuma, says the situation has reached a critical point.

“We are not looking at assurances again. Discussions and promises over recruitment have gone on for too long without sufficient action,” she said.

She said some duties that should be performed by several workers are increasingly being handled by one person, contributing to absenteeism, long working hours and difficulties balancing work with family responsibilities.

The Union says the shortage extends beyond doctors, nurses and pharmacists to include nutritionists, clinical engineers, pharmacy technicians, field staff, X-ray technicians and other specialised personnel.

“If my colleague, an X-ray technician, is taking about GH¢3,000 from payroll and we who are engaged are taking GH¢1,000, I will look at it,” she said.

The Health Services Workers’ Union is therefore calling on the government and health-sector employers to address the recruitment gaps and re-engage affected workers on the public payroll.

The Union believes improved conditions of service and adequate staffing will boost worker morale and ultimately improve healthcare delivery.