[Ghana] Government migrating unpaid junior doctors to public payroll

In Ghana, the government has helped the nation’s healthcare system escape a potentially devastating industrial action after it successfully secured clearance and commenced the migration of hundreds of unpaid junior doctors onto the public payroll, My Joy Online reports.

On October 13, Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, announced the intervention, intended to resolve the recurring issue of newly engaged doctors working for months without remuneration.

Recently the salary delays had led to strike threats from the Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA).

Speaking to the media, Mr Akandoh reportedly highlighted the severity of the situation, which saw many junior doctors reporting for duty and providing essential clinical services without official clearance or salary.

"You recently heard some junior doctors threatening to go on strike," Mr Akandoh said. "They had started work without clearance, without salaries, without pay".

The Minister added that he believed no young professional should have to endure such conditions, especially those critical to healthcare delivery, and emphasised the collaborative effort to resolve the administrative bottleneck.

"Again, we collaborated with the Ministry of Finance, and as I speak to you now, we have succeeded in getting them clearance, and they are being migrated onto the payroll," he said.

The JDA had previously stated that over 200 junior doctors were working with salary arrears spanning between 10 to 14 months.

Such a prolonged delay, which some analysts link to slow bureaucratic processes for financial clearance, is a perennial issue in Ghana’s public sector.

The successful payroll migration reportedly comes at a crucial time, with recurring salary problems cited as a significant contributor to the emigration of skilled health professionals: the 'brain drain.'

Recent data suggests that factors such as salary dissatisfaction and poor working conditions contribute largely to health workers’ intention to migrate. A 2025 study revealed that a significant percentage of healthcare workers, particularly young doctors, are highly motivated to emigrate if conditions, including salary, are not improved.

Previously, the government has acknowledged that the loss of physicians and other staff to countries like the UK and the US poses a severe threat to Ghana’s efforts to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

This solution to the salary issue is reportedly expected to placate the Junior Doctors and halt the disruption of health services, particularly in major teaching and regional hospitals where these junior doctors are a core part of the medical workforce.

"This move is a strong affirmation of the government’s commitment not only to their service conditions but to the broader stability of our health sector," the minister said. He reportedly urged the affected doctors to remain committed to their duties while their financial concerns are being actively resolved.

Source: My Joy Online

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Ghana, the government has helped the nation’s healthcare system escape a potentially devastating industrial action after it successfully secured clearance and commenced the migration of hundreds of unpaid junior doctors onto the public payroll, My Joy Online reports.

On October 13, Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, announced the intervention, intended to resolve the recurring issue of newly engaged doctors working for months without remuneration.

Recently the salary delays had led to strike threats from the Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA).

Speaking to the media, Mr Akandoh reportedly highlighted the severity of the situation, which saw many junior doctors reporting for duty and providing essential clinical services without official clearance or salary.

"You recently heard some junior doctors threatening to go on strike," Mr Akandoh said. "They had started work without clearance, without salaries, without pay".

The Minister added that he believed no young professional should have to endure such conditions, especially those critical to healthcare delivery, and emphasised the collaborative effort to resolve the administrative bottleneck.

"Again, we collaborated with the Ministry of Finance, and as I speak to you now, we have succeeded in getting them clearance, and they are being migrated onto the payroll," he said.

The JDA had previously stated that over 200 junior doctors were working with salary arrears spanning between 10 to 14 months.

Such a prolonged delay, which some analysts link to slow bureaucratic processes for financial clearance, is a perennial issue in Ghana’s public sector.

The successful payroll migration reportedly comes at a crucial time, with recurring salary problems cited as a significant contributor to the emigration of skilled health professionals: the 'brain drain.'

Recent data suggests that factors such as salary dissatisfaction and poor working conditions contribute largely to health workers’ intention to migrate. A 2025 study revealed that a significant percentage of healthcare workers, particularly young doctors, are highly motivated to emigrate if conditions, including salary, are not improved.

Previously, the government has acknowledged that the loss of physicians and other staff to countries like the UK and the US poses a severe threat to Ghana’s efforts to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

This solution to the salary issue is reportedly expected to placate the Junior Doctors and halt the disruption of health services, particularly in major teaching and regional hospitals where these junior doctors are a core part of the medical workforce.

"This move is a strong affirmation of the government’s commitment not only to their service conditions but to the broader stability of our health sector," the minister said. He reportedly urged the affected doctors to remain committed to their duties while their financial concerns are being actively resolved.

Source: My Joy Online

(Quotes via original reporting)