The Ministry of Health has defended its ongoing recruitment exercise, saying financial clearance currently allows the employment of about 8,000 health professionals and support staff despite a backlog of more than 105,000 unemployed workers.
In a statement, the ministry said the recruitment process had attracted significant public interest and concern, especially among health professionals waiting to be employed.
It said the latest recruitment exercise was being guided by the government’s Free Primary Healthcare policy, which focuses on strengthening preventive and community based healthcare services, particularly in underserved areas.
According to the ministry, the last major recruitment exercises for several professional groups were conducted years ago. Nurses were last recruited in 2020, pharmacists and allied health professionals in 2019, while physician assistants were last recruited in 2018.
The ministry said the government could not recruit all unemployed health workers at once because of financial constraints, but insisted it remained committed to creating opportunities for all categories of professionals.
It said regional allocations were based on staffing needs submitted by the Ghana Health Service, the Christian Health Association of Ghana, Ahmadiyya Health Services and the Mental Health Authority.
A recruitment committee made up of human resource directors from the various agencies was also consulted to determine staffing gaps and priorities, the statement added.
The ministry said regions with the biggest shortages of health workers received the highest allocations.
Under the current exercise, nurses and midwives received the largest share, with 6,500 positions approved. Priority was given to nurse assistant preventive officers, community health nurses and public health nurses to support home visits and community healthcare delivery.
About 900 positions were allocated to allied health professionals, mainly laboratory technicians and health information officers, while 250 slots were approved for pharmacy professionals and technicians.
The ministry also said 300 physician assistants recruited in 2024 but still awaiting placement on the government payroll had been prioritised.
Officials said a new recruitment portal had been introduced to improve transparency and support district level recruitment. The ministry added that feedback from users would be used to improve the system.
It acknowledged that more health workers were needed across the country and said discussions with the Ministry of Finance were ongoing to secure additional financial clearance for further recruitment.
The ministry said the recruitment portal would be reopened once approval was granted for more hiring.
