The Health Services Workers’ Union has warned that the 13th‑month salary agreed in its collective agreement remains unpaid, adding to a crisis of staff shortages in public health facilities nationwide.
Under the agreement, workers who have completed 12 months of service are entitled to an extra month’s pay, yet the benefit has not been credited since the contract was signed with the employer.
Principal Industrial Relations Officer Jerry Detse Mensah‑Pah said the unpaid bonus is one of several labour grievances, including inadequate recruitment of non‑clinical staff such as paramedics, disease‑control officers, administrative personnel, security staff, orderlies and labourers.
He warned that “there is no way a doctor or a nurse can come to the facility and work alone,” noting that major hospitals – Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Koforidua Hospital and Ridge Hospital – need additional personnel to meet operational demands.
Mensah‑Pah added that recruitment has largely focused on doctors and nurses, leaving essential support roles understaffed. “Security officers, cleaners, orderlies and other support staff are all necessary for hospitals to function effectively,” he said.
The Union reports that the shortage forces existing workers to work excessively long hours, with some experiencing health challenges. It also criticises the use of internally generated funds to hire casual workers, arguing that such funding cannot provide sustainable employment or adequate conditions of service.
In the Ashanti Region, Regional Chairperson Esther Akuma said the situation has reached a critical point. “We are not looking at assurances again. Discussions and promises over recruitment have gone on for too long without sufficient action,” she said.
Akuma noted that duties that should be performed by several workers are increasingly being handled by one person, contributing to absenteeism, long working hours and difficulties balancing work with family responsibilities.
The Union’s concerns extend beyond doctors, nurses and pharmacists to include nutritionists, clinical engineers, pharmacy technicians, field staff, X‑ray technicians and other specialised personnel. “If my colleague, an X‑ray technician, is taking about GH¢3,000 from payroll and we who are engaged are taking GH¢1,000, I will look at it,” she said.
The Health Services Workers’ Union is calling on the government and health‑sector employers to address recruitment gaps and re‑engage affected workers on the public payroll. It believes that improved conditions of service and adequate staffing will boost morale and ultimately improve healthcare delivery.
