Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister for HealthKwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister for Health, has assured that health workers who were legally recruited before December 31, 2024, will remain at post.
There have been concerns following a directive from Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, who, in a statement issued on Tuesday, February 11, instructed all heads of government institutions to annul appointments made after December 7, 2024, citing non-compliance with established good governance practices and principles.
The statement instructed: “Heads of Government Institutions… to take the necessary steps to annul any such appointments or recruitments and submit a comprehensive report on the actions taken to this Office by February 17, 2025.”
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has threatened a nationwide strike if any of its members are dismissed under the new directive, which seeks to terminate the appointments of recruits hired after December 7, 2024.
According to GRNMA President Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, the directive will affect over 5,000 members, creating growing anxiety among nurses and midwives.
Mrs. Ofori-Ampofo warned in an interview with 3news that “any dismissal of those nurses and midwives will lead to a nationwide strike.”
“There is a lot of tension in our fraternity. You should be on our platforms—if they go ahead with these dismissals, we will have no choice but to stand in solidarity with our colleagues. Solidarity means that if you ask them to stay at home, we will all stay at home,” she stressed.
Responding to these concerns, the Minister for Health clarified that no appointments within the sector had been revoked.
“We in the Ministry of Health have not revoked any health worker’s appointment. They fall under the Ministry of Health. So whether it is the Ghana Health Service or any agency under the Health Ministry, we have not revoked anybody’s appointment.
“I therefore put it on record that any health professional who has gone through the right processes, who has been cleared under the clearance that ended on December 31, 2024, and has been posted, will not be dismissed. That is a matter of record,” the Minister emphasized.
