We are going to recruit another 8,000 to make up for the 16,000 health professionals — Akandoh

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says the ministry is awaiting financial clearance to begin the second phase of its recruitment exercise for 16,000 health workers.

Speaking to Bernard Avle on Channel One TV's The Point of View on Monday, October 19, Mr Akandoh said the next phase would cover the remaining 8,000 professionals.

“Very soon, we are going to begin the process to recruit another 8,000 to make up for the 16,000 health professionals,” he said.

Mr Akandoh said the government intended to recruit health professionals into the system regularly, although addressing the backlog of unemployed graduates would take time.

He noted that the government was still dealing with outstanding batches of health professionals who completed their training between 2021 and 2025, some of whom were yet to secure employment.

As part of efforts to address the challenge, the government is also exploring opportunities to facilitate the employment of Ghanaian health professionals abroad through a proposed Ghana Labour Exchange Programme.

The minister disclosed that he had recently travelled to Columbus, in the United States, to sign a memorandum of understanding with a mayor to facilitate overseas employment opportunities for health professionals.

The proposed programme is expected to complement domestic recruitment by helping qualified Ghanaian health professionals access employment opportunities in other countries.