Over 80,000 Nurses are unemployed – Jones Afiyie Anto Esq
Jones Afiyie Anto, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), has revealed that approximately 80,000 nurses are currently unemployed in Ghana.
Speaking on Kessben FM, he highlighted that graduates from 2020 to 2024 have yet to receive postings, despite completing their training and national service.
The delay in postings has been attributed to the government’s failure to provide financial clearance for the employment of these nurses. According to Afiyie Anto, the lack of action from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance has left many nurses without employment opportunities.
The unemployment of trained nurses has had a detrimental effect on healthcare delivery in Ghana. Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, has criticized political leaders for their failure to employ trained nurses, arguing that the current unemployment of trained nurses demonstrates a significant disconnect between political leadership and healthcare needs.
He emphasized that keeping trained nurses at home for extended periods leads to skill degradation, which ultimately affects the quality of healthcare services. He added that the failure to employ nurses from the 2020, 2021, and 2023 cohorts is a clear sign of political neglect.
The GRNMA has called on the government to immediately recruit nurses and midwives to fill vacant positions at health centers. The association argues that the migration of nurses has created a shortage of critical health professionals, which demands immediate attention. Afiyie Anto urged the government to employ nurses and midwives who completed school in 2020 and 2021 but are still at home.
