Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has revealed that over 13,500 nurses and midwives recruited under the previous administration were posted without financial clearance, leaving them without salaries.
Speaking at a media engagement on October 13, 2025, the Minister said the financial clearance for the affected health workers expired on December 31, 2024, before they were added to the government payroll.
“Issuing financial clearance is not ceremonial,” he explained. “It must be backed by the ability to migrate professionals onto the payroll before the clearance expires.”
Mr. Akandoh said the new administration was faced with two difficult choices either send the 13,500 nurses and midwives home and rehire them later, or immediately find funds to retain them.
“We chose the latter,” he noted. “Sending them home would have disrupted healthcare delivery across the country.”
The Minister described the situation as a “critical human resource challenge” and assured that his ministry is working to:
Secure emergency financial provisions,
Regularize the employment status of affected personnel, and
Strengthen recruitment and clearance protocols to prevent future lapses.
Mr. Akandoh reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fairness and stability in the health sector.