105,000 health workers jobless, but only 8,000 hired, Health Ministry admits backlog crisis as new portal opens.
The Ministry of Health has clarified the ongoing recruitment of health professionals, acknowledging concerns over a backlog of more than 105,000 unemployed workers caused by years of limited hiring, with the last major recruitments dating back to 2020 for nurses, 2019 for pharmacists and allied health professionals, and 2018 for physician assistants; in a statement issued on May 14, 2026, the Ministry said current financial clearance allows for the recruitment of about 8,000 staff across all categories under the Free Primary Healthcare Policy, prioritising nurses and midwives with 6,500 positions, allied health professionals with 900 positions, pharmacy personnel with 250 positions, and physician assistants with 300 positions, while stressing that allocations were based on staffing needs and healthcare gaps across regions; the Ministry also announced the introduction of a new recruitment portal to improve transparency and pledged to continue engaging the Ministry of Finance for additional clearance to expand recruitment opportunities nationwide.
