‘Expedite posting of unemployed dental nurses after 5-year delay’ — OHPAG urges government

The Oral Health Professionals Association of Ghana (OHPAG) has urged the government to promptly recruit registered dental surgery assistants, often referred to as dental nurses, who have been without employment for over five years.

OHPAG’s leadership emphasizes that the delay in recruitment has significantly impacted Ghana’s oral healthcare system, leading to increased strain on dental services across the country.

The association noted that these skilled dental professionals, trained by the Ministry of Health at the College of Health and Well-Being in Kintampo, are fully licensed and equipped to provide vital support in dental clinics.

“Their recruitment would be of great help towards the achievement of SDG 3 by 2030,” OHPAG highlighted in their statement dated November 4.

Despite being trained by the Ministry of Health, dental nurses have not been posted since 2019, unlike their counterparts in other healthcare fields who received financial clearance for posting as recently as 2020 and 2024.

“This phenomenon portrays an unfair treatment among the Ministry of Health Trainees by the very Ministry that trains them,” stated Shaibu Issifu, President of OHPAG, in the release.

The prolonged delay has caused numerous dental clinics to operate with significant staff shortages, with some facilities even resorting to unlicensed personnel to assist in dental procedures.

OHPAG warns that this reliance on unlicensed practitioners not only violates Act 857 of 2012, which governs dental practice in Ghana, but also jeopardizes patient safety and care quality.

Ghana faces a high prevalence of oral diseases, with about 50 percent of the population suffering from conditions like periodontal disease and dental caries.

According to OHPAG, the absence of trained dental nurses is hampering efforts to manage these widespread conditions.

“It is improper, and unfair for such professionals trained with the taxpayer’s money to continue to stay in their homes when their services are needed by the citizenry,” the group stressed.

“We urge the government to expedite actions on the financial clearance for this cadre of health workforce, and post them without further delay,” OHPAG emphasized.