Unposted but Asked for Experience: Francis Appiah Writes Open Letter to Health Minister Over Unfair Recruitment Policy

Story by Kaakyire

In what has become a growing concern within Ghana’s health sector, Francis Appiah, a respected health advocate and Chief Executive Officer of Health for Wealth Ghana, has penned a powerful open letter to the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, describing the Ministry’s latest recruitment policy as “a national injustice.”

The letter, which has since gained wide attention, addresses the recent announcement by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Government of Barbados, seeking to recruit Allied Health Professionals with a minimum of five (5) years of working experience.

Mr. Appiah questioned the rationale behind such a directive, calling it “uncalled for, unfair, and deeply disappointing.” He pointed out the irony that thousands of trained Allied Health Professionals remain unposted and unemployed for years, through no fault of their own, yet the Ministry now demands years of experience they were never allowed to gain.

“How can the Ministry of Health demand five years of experience from professionals who have not even been posted years after completing their training? This is an irony that exposes a serious disconnect between policy and reality,” he stated.

He further condemned what he described as a systemic neglect of Ghana’s health workforce, noting that while hospitals and clinics across the country remain understaffed, the Ministry appears more focused on trading the nation’s skilled yet idle health professionals abroad.

According to him, the practice of continuing to admit new students into health training institutions, while thousands of graduates remain jobless, is “a moral and administrative failure.” He called on the Ministry to either absorb existing graduates or suspend admissions to avoid what he termed as “systemic exploitation.”

“Collecting fees from students with no plan for their employment is nothing short of enriching institutions while dashing the hopes of Ghana’s youth,” he added.

In his closing appeal, Mr. Appiah urged the Minister to take immediate action by:
1. Reviewing the five-year experience requirement in the Barbados recruitment notice.
2. Prioritizing the posting of all unposted Allied Health Professionals before any foreign deployment.
3. Establishing a transparent graduate absorption plan to restore confidence in the Ministry of Health.

He emphasized that Ghana’s healthcare future depends on empowering its professionals, not sidelining them.

“Our nation deserves better. Our health professionals deserve better. And history will remember those who stood for fairness and national interest,” his letter concluded.

Mr. Francis Appiah is the CEO of Health for Wealth Ghana, former Vice President of the National Health Students Association of Ghana, former National President of the Physician Assistant Students Association of Ghana, and CEO of Aya Multimedia Africa and Nayak Company Ltd.