In what can be described as a structured plan to put smiles on the faces of thousands of Ghanaian health workers, the Mahama administration has approved a structured plan to settle salary arrears owed to nurses and midwives recruited during the 2024 and 2025 posting period, bringing relief to health workers who went unpaid for several months.
The approval follows negotiations between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance aimed at resolving what officials describe as lingering payroll challenges.
Under the approved arrangement, outstanding arrears will be paid in four instalments from April to July. The phased approach is intended to balance fiscal responsibility with the urgent need to compensate health workers who continued to provide essential services despite prolonged delays in salary payments.
According to the Ministry of Health, the payment structure reflects the number of months owed to affected personnel. Two months of arrears will be settled in April, followed by three months each in May, June and July.
Officials say the schedule was designed to ensure that all validated arrears are cleared within a defined timeframe, restoring income certainty for nurses and midwives who have endured financial strain.
In a statement issued after the approval, the Ministry said the plan demonstrates government’s commitment to meeting its obligations in a timely and responsible manner. It also emphasized that the instalment approach allows the state to manage cash flows while prioritizing frontline health workers.
Background to the Salary Delays
The arrears stem from administrative and financial clearance issues that affected nurses and midwives recruited in 2024. Financial clearances tied to their employment expired in December of that year before processing was completed, resulting in many newly posted staff working without pay for extended periods.
In several cases, nurses and midwives reportedly worked for more than eleven months without receiving salaries. By late 2025, the delays triggered protests and public demonstrations across parts of the country, as affected workers demanded immediate payment and clearer communication from authorities.
The situation raised broader concerns about payroll management and the treatment of frontline workers within the public health system. Government data indicates that approximately 13,500 nurses and midwives recruited in 2024 have now been validated and placed on the government payroll.
Of this number, about 7,000 personnel began receiving their monthly salaries in November 2025 after initial processing hurdles were resolved. However, roughly 6,500 others remain at various stages of payroll integration, with their salaries still being finalized.
Officials say outstanding salaries for those not yet fully captured have been included in recent budget cycles. This, they explain, is part of a broader effort to resolve what have been described as legacy challenges within the payroll system and prevent similar backlogs in the future.
The payment delays were further complicated by concerns raised earlier this year by the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives. The group alleged that some validated arrears appeared to have disappeared from official payment vouchers, prompting calls for an investigation into payroll records and processing systems.
While government has not confirmed any wrongdoing, officials acknowledge that the claims added urgency to the negotiations and reinforced the need for a transparent and verifiable payment plan.
The Ministry of Health has assured affected workers that all validated arrears remain recognized and will be paid according to the approved schedule.
Government Commends Health Workers’ Patience
In the statement announcing the approval, the Ministry of Health commended nurses and midwives for their patience, dedication and continued service throughout the period of non-payment. Officials noted that despite financial hardship, many health workers remained at post, ensuring continuity of care in hospitals and clinics nationwide.
The Ministry also expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Finance for the priority and urgency attached to resolving the issue. According to the statement, inter ministerial collaboration was key to securing approval for the payment plan within the current fiscal framework.
The announcement was signed by the Ministry of Health Spokesperson Tony Goodman, who reiterated the government’s commitment to the welfare and motivation of health workers across the country.
The approval of arrears payments could help restore confidence among nurses and midwives, many of whom have expressed frustration over delayed compensation in recent years. Timely payment of salaries is widely viewed as critical to morale, retention, and the overall effectiveness of the health system.
While the instalment approach means workers will not receive all arrears at once, the clear timeline provides some certainty after months of uncertainty. Health sector unions have indicated that close monitoring of the payment process will be necessary to ensure the schedule is fully implemented.
Government officials say lessons from the arrears episode are informing reforms to payroll validation and clearance processes to prevent similar delays in future recruitment cycles. As the first instalment payments begin in April, attention will shift to implementation and whether the agreed timeline is respected.
For thousands of nurses and midwives, the approval marks a significant step toward financial relief and recognition of the work they continued to perform during one of the most challenging periods of their professional lives.