The Ranking Member on Parliament's Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriye, has urged the government to take immediate steps to employ thousands of unemployed nurses and allied health professionals across the country, warning that prolonged delays risk deepening frustration among the youth.

Speaking to journalists at Parliament following a demonstration by a group of unemployed nurses and allied health workers, Dr Afriye said the government must match its promises with decisive action to address the growing unemployment situation within the health sector.

According to him, the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration consistently granted financial clearance for approximately 18,000 health professionals annually, allowing newly trained nurses and allied health workers to be posted to health facilities across the country.

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He contrasted this with what he described as the current government's approach, claiming that only about 6,000 clearances are being granted annually despite the increasing number of qualified professionals awaiting employment.

"Government must walk the talk. If you raise the expectations of the people and then leave them in despair, it becomes a serious concern. You should have known exactly what you were talking about before making those commitments," Dr. Afriye stated.

He questioned the criteria being used for the limited postings and expressed concern over what he described as a lack of clarity surrounding the government's employment policy for health professionals.

The lawmaker estimated that more than 70,000 nurses and allied health workers are currently unemployed and called on the government to consider a supplementary budget to facilitate their recruitment.

"The Minority will support every legitimate advocacy effort aimed at convincing the Minister for Finance to bring a supplementary budget that will absorb these trained professionals into the health sector," he added.

His comments came after a group of unemployed nurses and allied health workers picketed at the precincts of Parliament to petition the Minority Caucus to support their call for immediate employment.

The group, led by its General Secretary, Gideon Nsiah, expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as a selective and opaque posting process.

According to them, the current system appears to favour only a few individuals from different graduating cohorts, creating perceptions of unfairness and possible influence peddling.

They appealed to the government to adopt a cohort-by-cohort recruitment system, arguing that such an approach would promote transparency and fairness in the posting process.

The aggrieved health professionals also called on Parliament to intensify pressure on the government to expedite their employment, stressing that many of them have remained at home for years after completing their training.

Dr Afriye further urged the government to accelerate the completion and operationalisation of the Agenda 111 hospital projects, arguing that the initiative has the capacity to absorb thousands of unemployed nurses and allied health workers nationwide.

According to him, the delayed completion of the hospitals is denying the health sector a critical opportunity to expand healthcare delivery while creating jobs for qualified professionals.

"The Agenda 111 hospitals have the potential to employ many of these nurses and allied health workers. Government must move beyond political considerations and ensure these facilities become fully operational for the benefit of Ghanaians," he said.



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