More than 13 different countries have formally requested Ghana to recruit and deploy skilled nurses and other health personnel, according to Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
While giving the House an update on the hiring of health workers, Mr. Akandoh made the revelation on the floor of Parliament, pointing out that the action is a component of the government’s plan to lower unemployment.
According to the Minister, there are a lot more health workers looking for work right now than the frequently quoted 30,000.
According to him, a total of 48,878 nurses remain unemployed. This includes:
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15,947 from the 2021 batch,
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17,176 from the 2022 batch, and
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15,755 from the 2023 batch.
However, the process of putting 15,000 nurses on the government payroll is still ongoing, even though they were hired in December 2024 after receiving financial approval.
Additionally, Mr. Akandoh pointed out that since 2019, allied health professionals have not received financial clearance, which has left 21,570 of them without jobs.
Similarly, since 2019, pharmacists have not received financial clearance, leaving 1,621 of them unemployed.
According to the Minister, the ministry has started the process of hiring more than 900 doctors who are now looking for work and waiting to be placed.
“The problem is, therefore, enormous,” he admitted, “but we are committed to finding solutions to it.”
