Massive Relief in Sight as Over 13 Countries Request to Hire Ghanaian Nurses Amid Soaring Unemployment
Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced a significant breakthrough in the country’s efforts to tackle growing unemployment among health professionals. Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minister revealed that more than 13 countries have formally expressed interest in recruiting trained Ghanaian nurses and other health workers.
According to Mr. Akandoh, the move forms part of a broader government strategy to address the rising number of unemployed health professionals across the country. He emphasized that the current unemployment figures are far greater than previously believed.
“The problem is enormous,” he admitted. “But we are committed to finding solutions to it.”
Latest data from the Ministry of Health shows that a staggering 48,878 nurses remain jobless. These include 15,947 graduates from the 2021 batch, 17,176 from 2022, and 15,755 from 2023.
In a positive development, 15,000 nurses received financial clearance and were employed in December 2024, although many of them are still being processed for inclusion on the government payroll.
However, the situation is even more critical for other health workers. No financial clearance has been granted for allied health professionals since 2019, leaving 21,570 qualified individuals unemployed. The picture is equally bleak for pharmacists, with 1,621 still without employment due to a similar lack of financial clearance since 2019.
On the matter of medical doctors, the Minister disclosed that over 900 unemployed physicians are currently being processed for recruitment.
Despite the grim statistics, Mr. Akandoh expressed optimism, stating that the government is actively engaging both local and international partners to create job opportunities for Ghana’s surplus of qualified health professionals. The global interest in hiring Ghanaian nurses, he noted, is a clear indication of the high regard for their competence and training.
Ghanaian nurses unemployment
Read more: https://insightghana.com.gh/?p=48284
