8,000 health jobs, but only for deprived districts, ministry says rural care comes first as 105,000 remain unemployed.
The Ministry of Health has announced that it will give priority to deprived and underserved districts in the ongoing recruitment of 8,000 health workers as part of efforts to strengthen primary healthcare delivery across Ghana. The exercise is meant to fill staffing gaps in rural communities, the ministry said adding that more than 105,000 trained health professionals are currently unemployed with some of them waiting for postings since 2018, 2019 and 2020. The recruitment, which is supported by financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance, is guided by the free primary healthcare policy and is focused on preventive, community-based and primary healthcare services, Director of Human Resources, Fred Acheampong, said. “We have established a decentralised recruitment portal that will enhance staff distribution and reduce urban concentration after postings,” he added. The ministry also warned against suspected fraud in the process, saying security agencies were involved in the exercise before it started and were looking into reported incidents, with updates to be provided once the investigations are concluded.
