8000 Health Personnel Cleared for National Service

The Ministry of Health has been given the green light to employ over 8000 health workers to fill vacancies in the various health facilities in the country.

The clearance to employ the nurses was communicated in a letter from the Ministry of Finance dated May 24, 2018 and signed by a Deputy Health Minister, Abena Osei-Asare.

The directive comes on the back of a two-week ultimatum some unemployed health professionals gave government early this month to get them clearance.

“The Hon. Minister for Health is hereby granted financial clearance to enable the Ministry engage the services of Eight Thousand and Forty-Two (8,042) Professional Health Trainees who completed in 2017 and are to undertake a one (1) year mandatory National Service/Internship,” the letter stated.

It also directed that the emoluments of the personnel should be charged against the Compensation of Employees vote of the Ministry of Health in the 2018 Annual Estimates.

According to the Health Ministry’s letter, the effective date of appointing the health professionals should not be earlier than 1st April, 2018.

The Health Ministry has therefore been advised to fast track documentation processes of the employees and placed them on the Mechanized Payroll to enable the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department effect payment of their salaries.

“The Ministry of Health is however entreated to inform all Human Resource Managers at the various facilities across the country to process the documents of all staff who are granted financial clearance on time to avoid accumulation of salary arrears.”

The financial clearance of these health professionals however expires on the 31st December, 2018 and cannot be used thereafter, the letter pointed out.