6,000 young Ghanaians will be recruited as community medical first responders across the country to support the operations of the National Ambulance Service (NAS).

Their recruitment has become possible due to a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between NAS and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) on Friday, July 18.Speaking during the ceremony in Accra, acting YEA Chief Executive Officer, Malik Basintale, noted that the move aligns with President John Mahama's efforts in ensuring every Ghanaian has access to healthcare services.

He acknowledged the medical challenges many Ghanaians, particularly rural dwellers, adding that the recruits will serve as frontline responders, providing essential first aid before patients are referred to health facilities."Looking through, we realized that people still die from snake bites, and there are people who still die from heart attacks immediately, simply because they were unable to get to the hospital early enough as a result of something, or first aid.

"And the solution to this is by putting in place a method where we will have first aid to some of these people. Within the zonal areas anytime there is a critical medical situation the first person the community will call upon is usually the assemblyman man.

"And so we felt that we should create an opportunity where we attach the first medical to these assembly members so that when there is an attack this person will go there, salvage the situation before we call for backup," he noted.

While lauding the government's initiative, the acting CEO of NAS, Dr. George Kojo Owusu, indicated that measures have been put in place to ensure a successful rollout of the programme.

He revealed that the medical first responders will undergo a training programme that "will feature 10 modules, including Introduction to Emergency Medical Services, Airway Management and Breathing, Circulation and Bleeding Control, and Mass Casualty Incidents and Triage".

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has assured that the backlog of unemployed health professionals across the country has come to an end, as the government seeks to recruit 70,000 qualified health workers.

“We recognise the challenge of over 70,000 qualified health workers currently awaiting employment, but I want to assure you that we are working tirelessly to clear this backlog,” he said.

Mr. Akandoh further revealed the government's recent achievement in recruiting 10,000 nurses and midwives nationwide.

He added that the government has already begun the process to ensure the payment of salary arrears owed to 321 Pharmacist House Officers who completed training in 2024.

“While 1,621 qualified pharmacists await permanent employment, we are prioritising their recruitment as part of strengthening our health workforce.

“This is just one example of our broader commitment to clearing the backlog across all health worker cadres, ensuring every qualified professional has the chance to serve and strengthen Ghana’s health system,” he said.

The government has disbursed an amount of GHS 462 million to settle training allowances owed to 120,000 nursing students nationwide.

The six-month payment is part of the government’s wider effort to assist students in Nursing Training Colleges financially.

In 2024, President Mahama encouraged trainee nurses to prioritize securing stable employment over relying on allowances. He highlighted the need for sustainable job opportunities in Ghana’s healthcare sector.

Speaking to trainee nurses, Mahama acknowledged their financial difficulties but emphasized that long-term job security is more beneficial than temporary financial support.

He assured them that his administration would focus on job creation within the healthcare industry, ensuring stable and rewarding careers for nurses and other health professionals.

“We know the problems with trainee nurses and that is why when we were in government, we said we were going to substitute your allowance with the students’ loan because we wanted to create more employment for you. What is important for you is not the allowance it is to get a job when you finish school,” he stated.

Adding that “But somebody came and said he will pay the allowances. Unfortunately, it was 419…Come and pay the nurses you owe them almost 30 months of arrears. Some of them have left school without receiving their allowances and some of them are going to leave school again without receiving their allowances.

“…I make you a commitment when I come to the hospitals, we were building that have been abandoned by this government we will continue them.

"When I come to the agenda 111 hospitals, they are building I will continue and finish them so that we can create more space to be able to absorb all of you when you finish school. This election is between Ghana and NPP.”