Newly Recruited Health Workers to Start Work on July 1, 2026 – Ministry of Health Announces

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has officially announced that newly recruited health professionals will begin their posts on Tuesday, July 1, 2026.

This follows the recent closure of the main recruitment portal, with thousands of successful applicants expected to join the public health sector soon.

Key Announcements from the Ministry

At a press conference in Accra on Monday, May 18, 2026, Mr. Frederick Mensah-Acheampong, Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, provided the following updates:

• Successful applicants must first report to their respective District Health Directorates for interviews and document verification before starting work.
• The verification process is to confirm documentation and readiness for duty.
• Those who report early will receive their July salary.

“Basically, the interview is to confirm the documentation of the professionals and their readiness to start work.” — Frederick Mensah-Acheampong

Mop-Up Recruitment Exercise

The Ministry will soon reopen the recruitment portal for a mop-up exercise to fill remaining vacancies. This phase will include:

• Positions in Teaching Hospitals and Psychiatric Hospitals (previously excluded)
• 87 unfilled vacancies in the northern parts of the country
• Critical roles such as Certified Registered Anaesthetists and Registered Public Health Nurses

Volunteer Recruitment Programme

In a major relief for unemployed health graduates, the Ministry announced a Volunteer Recruitment Programme for over 6,000 health professionals who completed training from 2022 to date but have not yet been recruited.

Highlights of the Volunteer Programme:

• Volunteers will receive stipends
• They will be given priority in future mainstream recruitment
• Priority will be given to Nurse Assistant (Preventive) and other assistant cadres to support the government’s Free Primary Healthcare Policy

Note: Health professionals from the 2021 batch currently being recruited will not qualify for this volunteer programme.

Additional Plans

The Ministry also revealed plans to conduct a separate recruitment exercise for Medical Officers to serve in rural and deprived communities.

Mr. Mensah-Acheampong advised all health professionals to regularly update their records on the Ministry’s recruitment portal instead of waiting for announcements.

Key Takeaways

• Start Date: July 1, 2026 for newly recruited health workers
• Successful applicants must undergo verification at District Health Directorates
• Mop-up recruitment coming soon for remaining vacancies
• Over 6,000 health graduates to benefit from Volunteer Programme with stipends
• Emphasis on deploying staff to rural and underserved areas