The minority caucus on the parliamentary select-committee of health has slammed government for its failure to pay what is left of the last batch of nurses and midwives who were given financial clearance for recruitment in the year 2024. The unpaid nurses numbering about 7,000 who were part of a total of 15,200 nurses and midwives employed that year after completing their training in 2020 and finishing a mandatory rotation for a year in various health facilities across the country picketed at the Ministry of Health Thursday, October 2, 2025 over what they say is the government’s refusal to pay their salaries for a total of 10 months.
The minority caucus in a rebuttal to the health minister’s press conference a few days ago, accused the government of pursuing a political agenda with the nurses. According to the Ranking Member of the Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie (MP, Effiduase-Asokore), financial clearance was given by Ministry of Finance under the erstwhile administration on 17th July 2024 to recruit some 15,200 nurses and midwives for the health sector. The clearance was set for expiry on 31st December 2024 by which only 6,500 of the recruits have received their salaries to date therefore as its standard practice the government has an option of extending the period in the event that deadline for expiry lapses.
“Folks, this financial clearance which was issued on the 17th of July took effect immediately. The agencies that recruited, and this was the 7,000 or the 8,000 government is saying that were cleared financially, they are all part of this 15,000. Now what happened was this, the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for the teaching hospitals, recruited the nurses. So on the same financial clearance last year, they recruited theirs and they were paid five months. So all those who the Ministry recruited with regards to this clearance had their five month salaries from July, August, September, October. Now the difference is that the Ministry was able to do a validation and they did it spot on.”
“However, they also did that recruitment before 31st December. Now, this clearance expired on the 31st, item 7, as you read, it said, please note that this financial clearance expires on the 31st of December 2024 and cannot be used thereafter. Now in normal public administration and civil service of this country, financial clearance expires. Even under this government, they will have financial clearance expiring, they will go for extension. It is a normal practice in the system. It’s no use, but you could only use it when you go for an extension by the Ministry of Finance. So why didn’t government see the need? Money was allocated for 15,000. You came in 7,000 or almost 8,000 have started,” he said
Meanwhile, the remaining nurses employed by Ghana Health Service, though late, have been at post without compensation triggering a demonstration at the Ministry of Health this month. The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, indicated that he had sought cabinet approval for clearance to meet the demands of the unpaid nurses. But for Dr. Afriyie, citing portions of the July 2024 clearance memo issued by the then finance ministry, there is no need for the minister to seek cabinet approval emphasizing that, “this is the clearance, government should come and tell us that there was no clearance there was and it expired. And they should tell us if, indeed, in public administration, there has not been clearance, which has expired and has been extended. It’s not news in this country or any other country, it’s not news, they lack the will and they were too political in their decision.”
A copy of the memo issued for the financial clearance sighted by Ceditalk was signed by then Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, MP for the sector minister stating that, “the emoluments of the nurses and midwives should be charged against the compensation of employees vote of the Ministry of Health in the 2024 annual estimates.” It further added, “the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health is to ensure that the engaged nurses and midwives have their documents processed in time and placed on the mechanized payroll early enough to enable the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department effect payment of their salaries. The effective date of this appointment should not be earlier than 1st September, 2024.”