By Philip Antoh
The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has promised health workers nationwide that the government intends to pay off all salary arrears owed to 13,500 health workers by the end of July 2026, after several months of delays in payments.
Speaking on Citi FM on Wednesday, April 22, he mentioned that the Ministry has started a phased payment plan to address the outstanding arrears.
He stated that by the end of April, affected nurses and midwives will receive two months of back pay, with an additional three months expected to be paid by the end of June, before the complete clearance is finalized in July.
He clarified that the issue arises from a mismatch between hiring and available financial resources, pointing out that the government took over a system where thousands of health workers were hired without the necessary budget allocation.
The Minister also noted that Ghana’s health sector has experienced an increase in trained professionals in recent years, with numbers growing from about 74,000 to nearly 100,000 by the end of 2025, many of whom are still waiting to be integrated into the system.
While recognizing the existence of job openings in the health sector, Akandoh emphasized that hiring is contingent on fiscal capacity, indicating that the government can only recruit based on its ability to pay salaries.
“However, there are positions that remain unfilled. The issue relates to fiscal space, meaning funds, so you can only hire what you can afford within your budget.
“We inherited a situation where around 13,500 nurses and midwives were employed without financial backing.”
“Thanks to God, we have managed to get all of them on the payroll, and we are paying their arrears in stages. By the end of April, we will pay two months; by the end of June, we will pay three months; and by the end of July, we will settle everything,” he stated.
It would be recalled that dozens of nurses and midwives recently demonstrated to demand payment of their 10 months’ salary arrears after assuming duty at various health facilities across the country.
The over 13,500 affected nurses and midwives had their financial clearance expire in December 2024, shortly before their postings took effect, resulting in several months of delay in salary payment.