Nurses and midwives under the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives Ghana have appealed to government to immediately pay their outstanding salary arrears, describing their situation as inhumane and a threat to the country’s health system.
Addressing a press conference at Ejisu, the President of the coalition, Stephen Kwadwo Takye, said many of their members have worked for an entire year without pay, receiving only one month’s salary despite months of continuous service.
According to him, nurses and midwives across the country work daily, attended to emergencies and helped sustain healthcare delivery, yet government has failed to honour its financial obligations to them.
He revealed that about 300 members have not received any salary at all, while the financial clearance covering their employment is expected to expire on December 31, 2025, leaving their future uncertain.
Mr Takye further stated that although more than 7,000 nurses and midwives who began receiving salaries in April 2025 have had their arrears fully paid, a total of 6,261 others have been left out.
He said some members were validated to receive full arrears in November but were paid only one month’s salary instead.
He accused the Ministry of Health of misleading the public with a press release claiming that outstanding payments had been made, insisting that the reality on the ground contradicts those claims.
The coalition said the prolonged non-payment has caused severe hardship among members, including unpaid rent, looming evictions, inability to afford food and transportation, rising debt levels and growing mental health challenges.
“This is not just unfair, it is inhuman. This is not a delay; it is a betrayal,” Mr Takye said, warning that the situation poses a serious risk to Ghana’s healthcare system.
The group is demanding immediate communication from both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, as well as full payment of all accumulated arrears before the end of December 2025.
Mr Takye said nurses and midwives make up more than 70 per cent of Ghana’s healthcare workforce and cautioned that any disruption in their services could lead to the collapse of the health system.
The coalition called on the general public and civil society groups to speak on their behalf and urged the Ministry of Finance to urgently address the situation to prevent a national health crisis.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
