The Ministry of Health (MoH) says more than 7,200 health professionals have secured placements under the ongoing nationwide recruitment exercise, with successful applicants expected to begin work on July 1, 2026.

The recruitment covers all categories of health professionals, although recruitment for medical doctors will commence after the current process.

Frederick Mensah Acheampong, Director of Human Resource for Health Development at the Ministry, speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, said the exercise formed part of government’s broader strategy to strengthen the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) policy and improve healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved communities.

He said the Ministry received financial clearance in April this year to recruit about 8,000 health professionals nationwide, despite a backlog of more than 105,000 unemployed health workers.

Mr Acheampong explained that recruitment allocations were based on staffing norms, annual human resource needs submitted by agencies under the Ministry, and the objectives of the FPHC policy.

“These objectives, guided by the human resource policies and operational documents of the Ministry and its agencies such as the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), Ahmadiyya Health Services, and the Mental Health Authority, were used to determine the allocations by profession and location,” he said.

He noted that regions and districts with severe staffing gaps and healthcare challenges received higher allocations, adding that some districts in Greater Accra, including Ada West, Ada East and Ningo-Prampram, were prioritised under the current exercise.

Mr Acheampong disclosed that more than 53,000 records of health professionals had been uploaded onto the newly introduced recruitment portal to enhance transparency and support district-level recruitment.

The portal captured 30,226 allied health professionals, 16,860 nurses and midwives, 4,631 physician assistants, 2,975 pharmacists, 1,778 pharmacy technicians and five foreign-trained Certified Registered Anaesthetists.

He said the system also recorded 29,893 initiated accounts, although 2,636 applicants failed to complete their profiles.

The Director said Registered General Nurses formed the largest applicant group nationwide, with 4,158 applications, while Nurse Assistant Preventives and Registered Public Health Nurses received priority allocations due to their critical role in preventive and community healthcare delivery.

He revealed that the Greater Accra and Eastern regions recorded 217 applications within the first five minutes of the portal opening, while the Ashanti and Bono regions submitted 153 applications during the same period.

Mr Acheampong said the West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region recorded the highest number of successful applications, with more than 90 applicants securing placements.

Providing a breakdown of the successful applications, he said 6,245 nurses and midwives had been recruited out of the allocated 6,500 slots, while 771 allied health professionals secured placements out of 900 available positions.

He added that 235 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians had also been recruited, filling 250 available slots, with all physician assistant vacancies fully occupied.

However, Mr Acheampong disclosed that 87 vacancies remained unfilled on the portal, mainly for Registered Public Health Nurses, Mental Health Nurses and five Certified Registered Anaesthetists in northern districts.

“We are working with the Ghana Health Service and CHAG to reallocate those slots to other cadres while maintaining the originally allocated districts,” he said.

Mr Acheampong announced that the recruitment portal would be reopened in the coming weeks for a mop-up exercise to fill the remaining vacancies and address staffing needs in teaching hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and other specialised institutions.

On allegations of fraud and the illegal collection of monies during the recruitment process, he said the Ministry had collaborated with security agencies from the outset of the exercise, and investigations into the activities of some unscrupulous individuals were ongoing.

He cautioned health professionals against dealing with fraudsters and urged professional associations to continue sensitising their members.

The Director said the next phase of the process would involve interviews and verification of certificates and professional documents at the district level before successful applicants were formally engaged.

He disclosed that the Ministry expected additional financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance before the end of the year to recruit more health professionals.

Mr Acheampong also announced plans to recruit medical officers to fill vacancies in rural and deprived areas, as well as engage more than 6,000 volunteers, particularly Nurse Assistant Preventives, under a stipend-supported initiative to support the FPHC policy.

He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to expanding employment opportunities for health professionals and ensuring equitable distribution of healthcare workers across the country to support the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goal targets.