The Minority in Parliament has called on the government to immediately pay salaries owed to nurses and midwives, insisting that funds for the payments had already been earmarked.
Addressing a press conference, the Minority accused the ruling government of politicizing public administration and misleading Ghanaians on the matter.
Ranking Member on the Health Committee, Dr. Nana Afriyie Ayew, who led the call, revealed that the previous administration had secured financial clearance for the recruitment and payment of over 15,000 nurses and midwives before leaving office.
He cited a letter dated April 15, 2024, signed by Abena Osei Asare, then-Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, authorizing the Health Ministry to recruit 15,200 nurses and midwives, with remuneration charged to the 2024 annual budget.
Dr. Afriyie Ayew therefore questioned why the health workers remain unpaid despite the approved budgetary allocation and urged the government to honor its obligation without further delay.
Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akando on Monday 13th of October, 2025 promised of ensuring all salaries owed unpaid nurses are cleared beginning November, 2025.
According to the Mr. Akando, a group of 6,500 unpaid nurses and midwives will begin receiving their salaries starting in November 2025, with Cabinet approving the payment and disbursement to start soon. The payment, he says, is part of a larger effort to address salary arrears for health workers and will be disbursed as administrative processes are completed.
The promise followed a protest by the a group of nurses who are owed about a year’s worth of salaries.
But, the minority says the narrative by the Health Minister cannot entirely be true given that monies were allocated for the salaries who were employed by the erstwhile administration. They have called for the immediate release of those earnmarked funds so the nurses can heave a sigh of relief.
They contend further delays will jeopardize the quality health delivery at the respective public health facilities in the country.
Source: (Original article adomonline.com. Further editing by Agyekum Tuah)
