Ministry of Health Recruits Over 6,200 Nurses and Midwives to Boost Primary Healthcare
Government aims to strengthen primary healthcare delivery as over 6,200 health professionals are recruited nationwide to fill staffing gaps in underserved communities.
- 6,245 nurses and midwives recruited out of 6,500 available slots nationwide
- Exercise targets strengthening primary healthcare in underserved communities
- Mop-up exercise planned to absorb remaining eligible applicants
The Ministry of Health has announced the successful recruitment of 6,245 nurses and midwives out of 6,500 available slots under a nationwide 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 across the country.
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 nationwide.
In addition to the nurses and midwives recruited, the exercise also saw the employment of 771 out of 900 allied health professionals, 235 out of 250 pharmacy professionals, and 300 physician assistants.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Frederick Mensah-Acheampong, Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, explained that although about 87 nursing slots remain unfilled in some northern districts, the process has been highly competitive due to the large number of qualified applicants.
“We have received financial clearance to recruit about 8,000 health professionals from the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry acknowledges the anxiety and interest these recruitment exercises have generated, particularly given 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 noted that the recruitment exercise is guided by the government’s Primary Healthcare policy, which focuses on preventive care, community-based services and improving healthcare delivery in deprived areas.
He further disclosed that a mop-up exercise will be conducted in the coming weeks to absorb eligible applicants who were unable to complete the recruitment process.
