The Ministry of Health has begun steps to onboard more than 6,000 volunteer health workers, with a strong focus on Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAP) personnel, as part of preparations for the government’s Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) Initiative.
Officials say the exercise is designed not only to reinforce frontline health delivery but also to provide short-term financial support and practical exposure for health graduates who completed training from 2022 onward.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, the Director of Human Resource for Health Development at the Ministry, Frederick Mensah Acheampong, said the recruitment process follows updates recently published on the ministry’s online portal. According to him, successful applicants will receive stipends while gaining opportunities to maintain and strengthen their professional competence.
He added that the broader goal is to improve service delivery at the primary care level, particularly in communities where access to qualified health staff remains limited. He also noted that the system has been structured to close staffing gaps, while ensuring a fair and transparent distribution of personnel nationwide.
Mr Acheampong disclosed that the Ministry received financial clearance in April to recruit about 8,000 health workers. This comes against the backdrop of a growing backlog of more than 105,000 unemployed health professionals.
He acknowledged concerns raised by applicants about the process, stressing that placements were guided strictly by staffing needs submitted by implementing agencies under the Ministry to support the Free Primary Healthcare rollout.
On the portal activity, the Ministry reported that 53,440 health professionals successfully completed verification during a one-week validation exercise.
This group included 30,226 allied health professionals from the 2019 to 2024 cohorts, 16,860 nurses and midwives from the 2021 batch, 4,631 physician assistants trained between 2018 and 2024, 2,975 pharmacists, 1,778 pharmacy technicians from 2019 to 2024, and five certified registered anaesthetists.
In addition, 29,893 user accounts were created on the recruitment platform, while 2,636 applicants were unable to complete their profiles.
Among completed registrations, registered general nurses led with 4,158 accounts. They were followed by 3,503 midwives and 2,724 Nurse Assistant Preventive applicants.
Other categories recorded included 1,329 nurse assistant clinical applicants, 960 registered public health nurses, 804 nurse officers, 2,058 medical laboratory sciences applicants, 1,546 medical laboratory technicians, 901 physician assistants, 720 pharmacy technicians, and 1,217 nutritionists.
Mr Acheampong noted that application activity peaked within the first five minutes of the exercise in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions, which together recorded 217 submissions. The Ashanti and Bono regions followed with 153 applications, while the Central and Western regions each recorded 123.
He further revealed that West Mamprusi district in the northern part of the country recorded over 90 successful applications, the highest for any district in that round. He described this as a positive signal, noting that northern areas have historically struggled to attract and retain health workers.
Despite this, he said 87 slots remain open on the portal, mainly for Registered Public Health Nurses and mental health nurses, along with five Certified Registered Anaesthetists distributed across northern districts.
The Ministry is working jointly with the Ghana Health Service and the Christian Health Association of Ghana to close remaining staffing gaps and ensure a more balanced distribution of health workers across the country.
Out of 6,500 nursing and midwifery vacancies, 6,245 applications have already been successfully processed through the portal. The remaining positions have been set aside for teaching hospitals and specialised facilities, including psychiatric institutions.
For allied health professionals, 771 applications were received out of 900 available slots, with the rest reserved for specialised and teaching hospitals where shortages persist.
In pharmacy recruitment, 235 professionals and pharmacy technicians secured placements out of 250 vacancies.
“The remaining positions are being reserved for some teaching hospitals and specialised institutions such as the Food and Drugs Authority and the Pharmacy Council,” he said.
Mr Acheampong added that all physician assistant vacancies have been filled, while five positions remain open for Certified Registered Anaesthetists (CRAs).
Mop-up exercise
He explained that the recruitment portal will be reopened in the coming weeks to address outstanding vacancies.
He also indicated that the Ministry is preparing to begin recruitment of medical officers nationwide, with a particular focus on underserved and rural communities.
A further round of hiring is expected later in the year, pending additional financial clearance. Once approved, the Ministry says the portal will be reactivated immediately to complete remaining staffing needs.
