Nursing quotas: Ghana admits up to 60,000 trainees a year but hires 10,000 – Akandoh

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh defended strict caps on admissions to nursing and midwifery schools, revealing that Ghana admits between 50,000 and 60,000 trainees annually but only recruits around 10,000 graduates. This creates a backlog of unoccupied trained nurses, which the government aims to reduce to about 40,000 before admitting more.

Every training institution, public or private, is given a quota based on its capacity for lecturers, classrooms, and practical training. The minister criticized private colleges for admitting too many students without proper control, burdening the state with their graduates seeking jobs. He cited the Nalerigu nursing college, which was allocated 750 places but admitted 2,500 students, leading to the suspension of its principal for over-admission.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council, the regulatory body, oversees nursing and midwifery education, registration, and licensing. Critics argue that Akandoh, previously a Ranking Member on Parliament's Health Committee, now enforces the quota system he once opposed. The ministry's spokesperson, Tony Goodman, announced in August that the ministry has over 107,000 trained nurses at home, but there is a gap of about 67,000 between the backlog and the minister's target.

Recruitment has focused on graduates from 2021, with the 2022 batch expected to be hired by the end of 2026. Unemployed graduates and associations have petitioned Parliament, demanding better job guarantees and the cessation of admissions if jobs are not secured. The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) also highlights outstanding allowances as a concern, threatening another strike if issues are not resolved.