The Ministry of Health has announced the successful recruitment of 6,245 nurses and midwives out of 6,500 available slots under a nationwide employment exercise aimed at strengthening primary healthcare delivery, especially in underserved communities.
The recruitment forms part of the government’s broader free primary healthcare initiative, which seeks to deploy trained health professionals to areas facing critical staffing shortages in order to improve access to essential healthcare services.
Overall, the Ministry received financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit about 8,000 health professionals, amid a backlog of nearly 105,000 qualified but unemployed health workers across the country.
In addition to the nurses and midwives, the exercise also resulted in the recruitment of 771 out of 900 allied health professionals, 235 out of 250 pharmacy professionals, and 300 physician assistants.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, the Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, Frederick Mensah-Acheampong, said although about 87 nursing vacancies remain unfilled in some Northern districts, the process was highly competitive due to the large number of qualified applicants.
He explained that the recruitment exercise aligns with the government’s Primary Healthcare policy, which prioritises preventive care, community-based health services, and the strengthening of healthcare delivery at the primary level, particularly in deprived areas.
“We have received financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit about 8,000 health professionals. The Ministry acknowledges the anxiety and interest these recruitment exercises have generated, especially considering the backlog of about 105,000 unemployed health professionals, some of whom have been awaiting recruitment since 2018 and 2019,” he stated.
Mr. Mensah-Acheampong further disclosed that a mop-up exercise will be conducted in the coming weeks to accommodate eligible applicants who were unable to complete the recruitment process.
