Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie Urges Health Minister to Probe GHS Over Delayed Nurse Payments
Effiduase-Asokore MP and Minority Health Committee Ranking Member Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie has called on Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh to query the Ghana Health Service (GHS) for delays in recruiting and paying salaries to newly employed nurses and midwives, rejecting the minister’s blame on the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
In a press conference on October 14, 2025, Afriyie asserted that the Akufo-Addo government had secured financial clearance for 15,200 health workers by January 2025, paying about 7,000 to 8,000 before transitioning.
He accused GHS of delaying hires despite clearance from June 2025, only employing the remaining 6,000-7,000 in December.
“The Minister should query the Ghana Health Service because they had the clearance to hire these professionals since June, yet they were only employed in December,” Afriyie said.
Afriyie rejected Akandoh’s October 13 claim of needing fresh Cabinet approval for 13,500 workers’ arrears starting November, calling it “deceptive” and a “political decision” to blame the NPP.
“There is no need for Cabinet to approve anything again… Funds are already available,” he insisted, citing a 2024 clearance letter from then-Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare for 15,200 hires.
The Minority demanded immediate payments, urging the government to renew expired clearances—a standard procedure—rather than politicize the issue.
Afriyie stressed accountability for GHS’s HR and Director-General, saying, “It’s not about politicians wanting votes; it’s about effective governance.”
