Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has disclosed that the then Akufo-Addo government recruited over 13,000 newly recruited nurses and midwives onto the government payroll without any budgetary allocation.

He made this revelation while clarifying the challenges his ministry is facing in settling debts owed to government workers, particularly those in the health sector.

“The reality is that in 2024, government started to recruit nurses and midwives. So the summary is that they recruited about 13,500 nurses and midwives and issued clearance,” he said.

“Once you issue clearance, you must make financial provision. Clearance is not just a paper… you issue clearance when indeed you can pay when you recruit the people.”

The Minister explained that the clearances of 13,500 nurses and midwives had expired by December 2024, even though they began work in August of the same year. However, none of them were added to the government payroll during that period.

“The clearance expired on 31st December 2024. What it means is that before the expiration… you must necessarily have all these 13,500 people on the payroll. As at the end of 31st December 2024, not a single one of the 13,500 people were on the payroll,” he said.

“When we came, there were two options available because there was no allocation for these nurses and midwives. One — let them go home and look for the funding and extend the clearance and then they come and work. Two — you can allow them to work while you look at how you will pay them, because that was not captured as part of our budget,” he explained.

Ghana, in recent times, has witnessed several protests from government employees, particularly teachers, nurses, and doctors. According to him, the former government handed over a poorly planned budget that made no provision for the payment of nurses, teachers, and doctors.

As such, the Minister has called on the protesting groups to keep calm as the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration will work to rectify the anomalies.

“We are taking it up very seriously, and I can assure the nurses, teachers, and junior doctors who are caught up in the process that we are going to respond to them before the end of the year,” he stated.

On Tuesday, September 30, the Newly Posted Teachers group, comprising graduates from Colleges of Education and universities, submitted their petition to the Finance Ministry, calling on the government to clear debts owed them.

The group had initially declared its intention to hit the streets over unpaid salaries on Tuesday, September 23. However, speaking to Citi News, the group’s Lead Convener, Simon Kofi Nartey, noted that the Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities were yet to respond to their earlier petitions, thus rescheduling the protest to September 30.

Simon Kofi Nartey called on the government to settle their 12-month and 8-month salary arrears, respectively, within the given ultimatum. According to him, the group would have no option but to hit the streets if the government did not treat their demands with urgency.

“It is rather unfortunate that, as we speak, nothing has been done about the concerns we raised at our press conference. We have no option but to take to the streets to let Ghanaians know what is happening. We have already met with the Greater Accra Regional Police Command and agreed on September 30 for the demonstration,” he said.

Also, on October 3, the Junior Doctors’ Association of Ghana (JDA-GH) declared its intention to withdraw services nationwide over unpaid salaries and alleged unfair treatment from the government.

However, the group made a U-turn on its nationwide strike, which was expected to commence on Tuesday, October 6. The decision to suspend the withdrawal of services followed constructive discussions with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other key stakeholders.

This was contained in a press statement issued by the Association’s leadership on Monday, October 6. According to the statement, “After careful consideration and following assurances from the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders, the Association has decided to suspend its planned industrial action to allow for the full implementation of the agreed resolutions.”

The group lamented that over 200 junior doctors had been left unpaid for 10 to 14 months. According to the Association, some medical officers had been suspended without explanation, even though they were previously on the government payroll.

It also emphasized that more than 800 medical officers were yet to be assigned to hospitals despite numerous engagements with authorities on the matter.

“Despite goodwill shown towards the government, no solutions have been offered. The continued exploitation of junior doctors will no longer be tolerated,” the statement read.

On Thursday, October 2, the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives staged a protest to register similar sentiments. Over 7,000 nurses and midwives gathered at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health, lamenting over working without salaries for nine to ten months.

Convenor of the coalition, Stephen Kwadwo Takyiah, described the situation as unfair and unsustainable. He added, “We are not comfortable hitting the streets, but it has become necessary. We are citizens, trained as professional nurses and midwives from nursing training colleges and universities.

“We graduated in 2020, completed our rotations, and waited at home for three years. In July 2024, the Ministry of Health announced it had secured financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance for our employment.

“The portals were opened, we registered, and by October 2024, we received postings and reported to work in December. Out of the 15,000 announced, about 13,000 took up postings.

“But in April 2025, only some of our colleagues started receiving salaries. As we speak, just over 6,500 have been paid, while nearly 7,000 of us have worked for close to 10 months without pay.”

In response, the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, urged the group to exercise patience, assuring them that the government had taken steps to address their concerns.

Addressing the aggrieved group on Thursday, October 2, the Minister disclosed that the government would include funds to settle their unpaid salaries in next year’s budget.

On June 2, members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) withdrew from their posts over delays in their 2024 Collective Agreement.

In response, the National Labour Commission (NLC) filed an ex parte application on Thursday, June 5. A 10-day injunction was placed on the nationwide strike after the Industrial and Labour Division of the High Court in Accra described the protest as illegal.

The GRNMA disclosed that it had yet to formally receive a court order restraining its ongoing strike. Public Relations Officer of the GRNMA, Joseph Krampah, insisted that the group would proceed with the strike until an official injunction notice was served.

Health Minister Mintah Akandoh, on the matter, revealed that the government was unable to meet the conditions of service for the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), currently on strike, this year.

Engaging the press, the sector minister announced that the conditions of service being requested were not captured in the 2025 budget statement, noting that it would “completely throw the economy off gear if implemented in the manner it currently exists.”

“We are mindful of the serious economic consequences of unbudgeted expenditure and want to avoid the economic slippages that have led to hardship in the recent past,” the Health Minister revealed.

The Minority in Parliament entreated the government to put in the necessary measures to ensure the strike action was called off. Dr. Afriyie Ayew urged the government to work towards providing the conditions of service negotiated by the previous administration.

“It is our belief that governance is a continuous process; regardless of which party is in government, public servants are paid. Collective bargaining rights which are agreed on remain their rights regardless of which government takes over after elections.”

The nationwide strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) took a heavy toll on healthcare delivery, with many lives lost as patients were left stranded.

The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) bemoaned the sharp rise in mortality cases amid the ongoing strike by nurses and midwives.

General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, noted that the death rate had increased by approximately 100% to 150% due to the absence of nurses at post.

“Looking at the number of deaths compared to the past and now, the death toll has increased significantly, and it is not surprising because of the impact of the nurses’ absence. On average, where we are to record about 10 a day, we are recording about 20 to 25. This tells you that the absence of our nurses is becoming so severe,” he said.

Making reference to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, he mentioned that “we know the average in Korle Bu; you can have about 50 this time. It has risen above that. Other facilities (like) KATH and all that, we are hearing it.”

According to him, nurses who are no longer at post previously helped to reduce the daily death rate across medical facilities in Accra.