By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
The Minister for Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced that Cabinet has approved the immediate payment of salaries for 6,500 nurses and midwives who have been working without pay.
The disbursement is expected to begin in November 2025.
Speaking at a press conference amid growing agitation from nurses’ unions across the country, the Minister revealed that the Ministry of Finance has received Cabinet approval to release funds for the payments.
He acknowledged the frustrations many nurses and young doctors had endured and said his ministry would continue to work with the Finance Ministry to address all outstanding salary issues.
According to him, we have secured clearance for these more than 17,000 health professionals,” he said.
According to Mr Akandoh, about 7,000 nurses are currently receiving payments, 3,000 are on the payroll but yet to be paid, while an additional 3,500 are being processed, bringing the total number of affected health workers to 13,500.
Mr Akandoh said government earlier faced a difficult choice between asking 13,500 nurses and midwives to stop work or retaining them while sourcing funds to regularise their pay.
He explained that the government chose to keep them in service to avoid increasing unemployment among trained health workers.
“We could not allow the 13,500 people to go home and add to the over 74,000 health professionals who have already been trained and are at home,” he said.
The Minister said that out of the total number, about 10,000 have so far been migrated onto the payroll, but only 7,000 are currently receiving their salaries.
He added that 3,000 others, though captured on the payroll system, have yet to be paid, describing the situation as a matter being worked on between his ministry and the Ministry of Finance.
