Ministry of Health Launches Volunteer Programme for Over 6,000 Unemployed Health Graduates

In a major relief for thousands of unemployed health professionals, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced the rollout of a Volunteer Programme targeting over 6,000 health graduates who completed training from 2022 to date.

This initiative aims to deploy these professionals to rural and deprived areas while providing them with stipends and priority consideration in future permanent recruitment exercises.

Details of the Volunteer Programme

According to Mr. Frederick Mensah-Acheampong, Director in charge of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, who addressed a press conference in Accra on Monday, May 18, 2026:

• The programme covers health professionals not included in the current recruitment for the 2021 batch of nurses and midwives.
• Participants will receive stipends (amount yet to be disclosed).
• Volunteers will be given priority during subsequent mainstream recruitment.
• Nurse Assistant (Preventive) cadres will receive first consideration, followed by other assistant categories to strengthen preventive and community healthcare.

The volunteer arrangement will run alongside a mop-up recruitment exercise to fill remaining vacancies.

Broader Context: The Unemployment Challenge

The Ministry revealed that approximately 105,000 trained health professionals are currently unemployed nationwide — an increase from the 74,000 figure mentioned in Parliament in 2025.

This volunteer programme is part of efforts to address the growing backlog while awaiting additional financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance.

Other Key Announcements

• Newly Recruited Health Workers: Successful applicants from the ongoing recruitment will start work on July 1, 2026, after reporting to their District Health Directorates for interviews and document verification.
• Medical Officers Recruitment: A separate exercise will soon begin to recruit doctors specifically for rural and deprived communities.
• Future Recruitment: The portal will be reopened after the mop-up exercise once more financial clearance is received.
• Advice to Applicants: All health professionals are urged to regularly update their records on the Ministry’s recruitment portal.

Why This Programme Matters

This volunteer initiative serves two purposes:

1. It provides immediate engagement and some income for thousands of unemployed health graduates.
2. It helps address critical staffing shortages in underserved parts of the country, especially for preventive healthcare services.