Growing frustration is brewing among graduate nurses and midwives across Ghana as many accuse the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) adminis
Growing frustration is brewing among graduate nurses and midwives across Ghana as many accuse the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of abandoning its campaign promise of automatic postings and permanent employment for health professionals after introducing a volunteer engagement system for unemployed professionals.
The controversy follows recent comments by the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who disclosed that government would engage some unemployed health workers as volunteers under the Free Primary Healthcare Programme while broader recruitment processes continue.
The announcement has triggered widespread backlash among nurses and other health professionals who say they voted for the NDC based on repeated assurances that licensed nurses and midwives would receive immediate postings and be absorbed into the public health system upon completion of training and mandatory service.
During the 2024 election campaign, several leading figures including John Mahama within the NDC openly criticised the previous administration over unemployment among health professionals and pledged to ensure that nursing trainees would no longer remain at home after graduation.
Campaign messages from party communicators and youth leaders strongly projected a future where nurses and midwives would enjoy smoother and faster recruitment into the health sector under an NDC government.
However, months after the party assumed office, many graduate nurses say they are still unemployed, while others claim they have been compelled to work without salaries under temporary volunteer arrangements in health facilities across the country.
The latest anger erupted after the Health Minister explained that government currently lacks the financial capacity to immediately absorb all unemployed health professionals into the public payroll.
According to the minister, Ghana presently has a backlog of more than 74,000 unemployed health professionals, including nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and allied health personnel, whose immediate recruitment would place enormous financial pressure on the state.
He indicated that employing all the affected professionals at once could cost government more than GH¢6 billion annually.
As part of efforts to manage the situation, the Ministry of Health says it is implementing what officials describe as a “two-track system.”
Under the arrangement, government has begun the formal recruitment of about 16,000 health workers who are expected to receive full postings, salaries, and financial clearance through the normal public sector employment process.
At the same time, unemployed health professionals who are not captured under the initial recruitment phase are expected to serve temporarily as health volunteers in Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, polyclinics, and health centres under the Free Primary Healthcare Programme.
Unlike permanently employed staff, the volunteers are expected to receive stipends instead of full government salaries.
The proposal has however angered many nurses and midwives who insist the arrangement falls far below the expectations created during the 2024 campaign period.
Several aggrieved nurses argue that after years of expensive professional training, licensure examinations, and mandatory rotations, asking qualified health workers to serve as volunteers amounts to exploitation and betrayal.
The discontent is also being worsened by long-standing delays in payment of allowances to rotational nurses and newly recruited health workers across various public health facilities.
Over the past year, nursing groups and health sector unions have repeatedly complained about delayed financial clearance, unpaid allowances, and slow recruitment processes affecting thousands of qualified professionals nationwide.
These grievances have occasionally resulted in demonstrations, petitions to the Ministry of Health, threats of industrial action, and public criticism directed at government officials.
In June 2025, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) embarked on industrial action over unresolved conditions of service and concerns regarding implementation of agreements affecting nurses and midwives.
At the same time, associations representing rotational nurses and midwives also issued ultimatums to government over delayed allowances and prolonged unemployment among trained professionals.
The frustration has intensified further following technical challenges associated with the Ministry of Health’s recruitment portal, where thousands of applicants have struggled to access the online system amid overwhelming traffic.
Many applicants have complained about repeated “no slots available” notifications despite meeting qualification requirements, sparking accusations of unfairness and lack of transparency in the recruitment exercise.
The Ministry of Health has denied allegations that the recruitment system is fraudulent, insisting that the technical difficulties are a result of excessive demand and pressure on the portal.
Government officials maintain that the volunteer initiative is not intended to replace permanent recruitment but rather serve as an interim intervention to support healthcare delivery while additional financial clearances are secured.
The Health Minister has also defended the policy, insisting that the state remains committed to gradually absorbing unemployed health workers into the formal public sector workforce.
Beyond domestic recruitment, government says it is exploring long-term strategies such as managed migration programmes that could allow Ghanaian nurses to work abroad under bilateral arrangements with foreign countries facing healthcare workforce shortages.
Despite these assurances, many nurses say confidence in government has been shaken, with critics warning that the issue could become politically significant ahead of the 2028 general elections if unresolved.
COMMENTS