The Ministry of Health has moved to address growing public concern over the ongoing recruitment of health professionals across the country, amid increasing anxiety among thousands of unemployed healthcare workers awaiting placement.
In a press release issued by the Ministry on Thursday May 14,2026, officials acknowledged concerns surrounding the recruitment exercise and revealed that Ghana currently has a backlog of more than 105,000 unemployed health professionals.
The Ministry said government remains committed to gradually creating employment opportunities across all professional categories despite financial limitations.
According to the Ministry, the last nationwide recruitment exercises for key professional groups took place several years ago. Nurses were last recruited in 2020, pharmacists and allied health professionals in 2019, while physician assistants were last recruited in 2018.
The Ministry explained that government is unable to recruit all qualified professionals at once due to budgetary constraints. It noted that the current financial clearance only covers the recruitment of about 8,000 health professionals and support staff nationwide.
Officials stated that the recruitment exercise is heavily guided by the objectives of the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) Policy, which focuses on strengthening preventive, community-based, and primary healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved areas.
To ensure transparency and fairness, regional allocations were based on staffing norms and annual human resource requirements submitted by agencies including the Ghana Health Service, CHAG, Ahmadiyya Health Services, and the Mental Health Authority.
The Ministry also disclosed that a Recruitment Committee made up of Human Resource Directors from the relevant agencies was constituted to oversee the process. Allocations were determined through staffing needs assessments and gap analyses, with regions experiencing greater shortages receiving higher allocations.
As part of the prioritization process, nurses and midwives received the highest allocation of 6,500 positions. Priority was given to Nurse Assistant Preventives, Community Health Nurses, and Public Health Nurses to strengthen home visits and community healthcare delivery.
The Ministry further allocated 900 positions to allied health professionals, particularly laboratory technicians and health information officers, to improve service delivery from CHPS compounds to polyclinics.
Additionally, 250 positions were approved for pharmacy and pharmacy technicians, while 300 positions were reserved for physician assistants recruited in 2024 who are still awaiting payroll mechanization.
The Ministry announced that a new recruitment portal has also been introduced to enhance transparency and support direct district-level recruitment. It added that feedback from users is being incorporated to improve the platform and overall user experience.
The statement reaffirmed government’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery while steadily addressing unemployment among health professionals in the country.
