Akandoh assures unpaid nurses salaries will be cleared soon

Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has assured the final batch of unpaid nurses that their outstanding salaries will soon be cleared, following months of frustration among affected health workers.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Health, the Minister stressed his “unwavering commitment” to resolving the matter, noting that his office is working closely with the Ministry of Finance to release the required funds.

“I sympathise deeply with the affected nurses. No worker should be engaged without valid financial clearance. Unfortunately, this situation largely accounts for the delays, but we are determined to resolve it,” Mr Akandoh said.

According to the Ministry, financial clearance was granted in August 2024 for the recruitment of about 13,500 nurses, but the approval expired in December 2024. Despite the lapse, the previous government proceeded to post nurses without budgetary provision for their salaries.

The current administration, the minister explained, decided not to send the nurses home but to retain them while seeking special concessions to cover their wages.

So far, more than 7,000 of the nurses have been paid, with about 6,500 still awaiting their salaries.

The ministry pointed to similar challenges faced by other health professionals. Some pharmacists who began housemanship in 2023 were left unpaid until early 2024, but their allowances have since been settled.

A group of medical house officers in 2024 also faced payment delays, which have now been addressed.

Rotation nurses and allied health interns who started work in 2024 but did not receive allowances have also been assured of payment in the near future.

On junior doctors, the Ministry noted that “all the processes for their payment had been done, but unfortunately, they were not paid. However, this has been resolved.”

Mr Akandoh emphasized that the government is “adopting every pragmatic approach to deal with challenges of this nature in the health sector” and is “determined to address these challenges decisively going forward.”