The Minister for Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced that Cabinet has approved the immediate payment of salaries for 6,500 nurses and midwives who have been working without pay. The disbursement is expected to begin in November 2025.

Speaking at a media briefing in Accra on Monday, Mr Akandoh said he had received a Cabinet directive instructing the Minister for Finance to commence payment to the affected health professionals without delay.

“About 6,500 will add up to the 7,000 already being paid, making 13,500. That is over 6,000 Cabinet has approved that with immediate effect. Starting from November, the Minister for Finance must pay them,” he stated.

Mr Akandoh said government earlier faced a difficult choice between asking 13,500 nurses and midwives to stop work or retaining them while sourcing funds to regularise their pay.

He explained that the government chose to keep them in service to avoid increasing unemployment among trained health workers.

“We could not allow the 13,500 people to go home and add to the over 74,000 health professionals who have already been trained and are at home,” he said.

The Minister said that out of the total number, about 10,000 have so far been migrated onto the payroll, but only 7,000 are currently receiving their salaries.

He added that 3,000 others, though captured on the payroll system, have yet to be paid, describing the situation as a matter being worked on between his ministry and the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Akandoh also disclosed that 883 house officers had recently been granted financial clearance to receive their allowances after months of working without pay.

He said this followed close coordination with the Ministry of Finance after junior doctors threatened industrial action earlier in the year.

He further announced that more than 17,000 rotational nurses had been granted clearance to begin their national service postings.

“By the grace of God, we have secured clearance for these more than 17,000 health professionals,” he said.

Mr Akandoh said these actions were part of efforts to clear the backlog of unpaid health workers his administration inherited.

He acknowledged the frustrations many nurses and young doctors had endured and said his ministry would continue to work with the Finance Ministry to address all outstanding salary issues.

“I empathise with anybody who had to go through this painful situation,” he said. “But it is important for Ghanaians to understand what we inherited and what we have done.”