Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has announced that the government will begin paying salaries to over 13,000 newly recruited nurses and midwives starting November 2025, following months of delays due to budgetary constraints.
Mr. Akandoh confirmed that arrangements are underway to address salary arrears, with regular monthly payments set to begin next month.
“There will be some arrangement for the backlog, but from November all the 13,000 will be paid,” the Minister stated. “We will pay the November salary and then communicate how the outstanding arrears will be staggered.”
The announcement comes amid mounting pressure from the Minority in Parliament, who have accused the Minister of misleading health workers regarding their employment status and delayed remuneration.
Mr. Akandoh explained that although the previous administration issued financial clearance for the recruitment of 13,500 nurses and midwives in 2024, no funds were allocated for their salaries. The clearance expired on December 31, 2024, leaving many recruits unpaid and off the official payroll.
Faced with the choice to either send the nurses home or allow them to work without immediate pay, the current administration opted for the latter, according to the Minister. Since then, the Health Ministry has been collaborating with the Finance Ministry to gradually onboard the recruits.
“We captured about 10,000 of them on the payroll, but only 7,000 were actually receiving payments,” Mr. Akandoh said. “Some began receiving salaries as early as March.”
He further noted that the financial burden has been higher than anticipated due to additional costs such as unpaid allowances and outstanding service conditions, which required Cabinet approval before disbursement.
With the latest commitment to settle payments beginning in November, the Health Minister expressed confidence that the issue is finally being addressed and the affected nurses will be fully integrated into the system.
