The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has clarified the ongoing concerns surrounding health sector recruitment, emphasizing that financial clearance is now the backbone of employment for nurses and midwives.
According to Philemon Gyapong, Assistant National Public Relations Officer of the GRNMA, the recruitment process has evolved significantly from the past. “If you don’t have financial clearance, it means you have not been budgeted for, and the government doesn’t have a provision for your salary,” he explained.
Mr. Gyapong confirmed that the Association is aware of financial clearance for 15,200 health professionals. “The 15,200 which we are aware of have financial clearance. I don’t know of any outside recruitment. There is no recruitment outside of that that we are aware of,” he stated.
The GRNMA spokesperson addressed recent concerns about the possibility of a strike, clarifying that the Association’s earlier comments were meant as guidance, not a threat. “I think we cautioned the government on its directive—we were giving them advice, let me put it that way,” he said.
Mr. Gyapong expressed concern over the fate of nurses and midwives who have waited for years after training but risk being laid off if bureaucratic processes aren’t completed promptly. “If nurses and midwives, who are also the youth of this country, who have stayed on for four to five years post-training, are laid off based on the fact that maybe their financial clearance process didn’t complete before a certain period, it will be very unfair to do that,” he emphasized.
Reassuring health workers, Mr. Gyapong noted that the Ministry of Health has pledged to follow proper procedures. “The ministry has made us aware that they are going to stick to the directives based on the emphasis they laid—those who went through due process and were given financial clearance are not supposed to go home,” he stated.
The clarification from the GRNMA provides reassurance to the 15,200 health professionals who have been cleared for employment, and highlights the Association’s commitment to advocating for the welfare of its members.
