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President Mahama urges health minister to re-open recruitment portal for nurses to clear backlog
President Mahama urges health minister to re-open recruitment portal for nurses to clear backlog
The Ministry of Health is set to reopen its recruitment portal to facilitate the employment of 16,000 nurses in two phases, President John Dramani Mahama has announced.
The move is aimed at reducing the backlog of qualified nurses awaiting posting across the country and improving access to healthcare delivery.
According to President Mahama, the recruitment exercise will be conducted in two batches, with 8,000 nurses expected to be recruited in the first phase and another 8,000 in the second phase after the portal is opened for applications.
Speaking during a durbar in Ho as part of his duty tour of the Volta Region on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in connection with the Free Primary Health Care Programme, President Mahama said the government was committed to improving the welfare and working conditions of health professionals.
“I have told the Minister of Health that as the economy gets better, we will continue to improve your conditions of service so that you are encouraged to do what you have to do,” he said.
President Mahama explained that clearance had been given to the Health Ministry to begin the recruitment process to create opportunities for trained nurses waiting to be posted.
“Right now, we are giving him clearance to open the portal to absorb 16,000 nurses in two batches. The first batch is 8,000 and the second batch is 8,000, so that by the time my daughters and sons who are waiting to complete their training, there will be a shorter queue before they are posted,” he stated.
The President praised nurses and other healthcare workers for their dedication and sacrifice, describing them as one of the country’s most important professional groups because they provide care to people during their most vulnerable moments.
Quoting Florence Nightingale, he encouraged health workers to continue offering compassionate services despite the challenges they face, stressing the importance of a positive mindset in the healing process.
“When you get to work, you must put all that aside because psychiatrists and psychologists will tell you that healing has to do with the mind. If the mind accepts that the body will heal, then the body heals quicker,” President Mahama said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, disclosed that the ministry was considering incentives to encourage health professionals to accept postings to underserved communities.
He said one proposal under consideration was to fast-track the promotion of health workers who accept rural postings compared to those serving in urban areas.
“We are considering looking at promoting health professionals who accept postings to the rural areas quicker than those in the cities,” Mr Akandoh said.
The Health Minister also revealed that the ministry had introduced post-basic nursing programmes in specialised areas such as oncology and critical care nursing to enhance the skills and capacity of healthcare professionals.
Additionally, he disclosed that 32 scholarships had been awarded for PhD studies to support the training of health professionals in specialised fields.
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