The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has revealed that the government is working on a comprehensive strategy to address the backlog of more than 100,000 trained health professionals awaiting employment opportunities.
According to him, the government cannot continue training new batches of health workers while leaving thousands of already-trained professionals unemployed.
Speaking before Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee on Thursday, the minister said the challenge inherited by the current administration requires a structured approach rather than immediate recruitment without proper financial planning.
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“We inherited a situation where we have more than 100,000 health professionals who are being trained and waiting. The strategy is that you have to absorb or find an impact system for these people,” he said.
He stressed that recruitment into the health sector must be backed by adequate budgetary provisions to ensure that newly employed workers receive their salaries and other benefits.
The Health Minister cautioned against announcing mass recruitment exercises without securing the necessary resources to sustain them.
“When you employ, you must make financial provision to pay the people,” he told the committee.
Mr. Akandoh cited the recruitment exercise under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration where about 30,500 nurses and midwives were employed without adequate financial arrangements, creating challenges for government.
He said such situations placed pressure on the state and contributed to dissatisfaction among health workers.
The minister explained that the issue goes beyond recruitment and requires broader solutions, including creating opportunities and alternative pathways for young people who complete health-related programmes.
He noted that some students choose health training institutions because they believe employment is guaranteed after graduation, but the government must ensure the system remains sustainable.
The government, he said, is considering measures to create more opportunities within the health sector while ensuring that recruitment decisions are aligned with available resources.
He added that unlike previous concerns over delayed allowances, the current administration has ensured that health trainees’ allowances are paid on time.