Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is set to employ 28,542 nurses from both private and public health institutions before the end of the year.
These include nurses who completed training colleges in 2017 and 2018 and include registered nurse assistant clinical and nurse assistant preventive, graduate nurses and midwives.
The employment of these nurses will cost the government about GH¢450,159,739.40.
The Ministry of Health, which is seeking financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance, has indicated that the amount should be charged against the 2020 compensation budget of the Ministry.
Communications from the Health Ministry to the Finance Minister that show a breakdown in the number indicates that 12,097 graduate nurses and midwives from both private and public training institution who completed in 2018 will be employed.
These graduate nurses, it said, have duly gone through the mandatory one-year national service and are due for permanent appointment into the health sector and have also been verified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana.
The estimated amount required to cater for 10 months’ salary for these officers is GH¢208,356,302.60.
The Ministry is seeking clearance for 6,348 Registered Nurse Assistant Clinical and Nurse Assistant Preventive who graduated in 2018 and verified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana.
The estimated amount required to cater for their compensation is GH¢67,568,746.80.
The Ministry is also seeking clearance to employ 10,097 nurses who completed both private and public health training institutions in 2017 with an expected compensation of GH¢174,234,590.
This development is in fulfillment of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s promise to provide employment for graduate nurses when he assumed governance of the country.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has, since it came into office in January 2017, employed 54,000 nurses and midwives and is still working to absorb a number of unemployed nurses.
Members of the Graduate Unemployed Nurses and Midwives Association picketed at the Ministry of Health (MoH) last year to demand their immediate employment.
Minister of Health, Mr. Agyemang-Manu indicated the government was aware of the unemployment situation hence the president has started a process to get the nurses employed.
He indicated that the Ministry is in talks with the Finance Ministry to give further clearance to employ the 2017 and 2018 batches.
The current development is therefore expected to put the matter to rest as the Ministry of Health seeks clearance to go ahead with the employment of these batches.
