The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives staged a protest on Thursday, October 2, 2025, to demand the immediate payment of salary arrears owed to thousands of its members by the government.

The group says more than 7,000 nurses and midwives have been working without pay for between nine and ten months, despite being formally recruited through official government channels.

The protest began at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra, with demonstrators marching to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health to present petitions demanding swift action to resolve the issue.

Stephen Kwadwo Takyiah, Convenor of the coalition, expressed deep frustration over the prolonged delay in salary payments, calling the situation both unfair and unsustainable.

“We are not comfortable hitting the streets, but it has become necessary. We are citizens, trained as professional nurses and midwives from nursing training colleges and universities.

Mr. Takyiah explained that although the Ministry of Health secured financial clearance in July 2024 to recruit nurses and midwives, the salary rollout has been incomplete and inconsistent.

“We graduated in 2020, completed our rotations, and waited at home for three years. In July 2024, the Ministry of Health announced it had secured financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance for our employment. The portals were opened, we registered, and by October 2024, we received postings and reported to work in December. Out of the 15,000 announced, about 13,000 took up postings.

“But in April 2025, only some of our colleagues started receiving salaries. As we speak, just over 6,500 have been paid, while nearly 7,000 of us have worked for close to 10 months without pay,” he lamented.

The coalition warned that the continued delay in payments is demoralising healthcare professionals and undermining service delivery across the country. They are calling on the government to act immediately to resolve the matter.