Unpaid Nurses and Midwives Accuse Government of Deleting Validated Salary Arrears

The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives Ghana has accused the government of removing validated salary arrears from members’ payment vouchers without settling the outstanding amounts, describing the situation as “deeply troubling” and demanding urgent accountability.

In a statement issued on Thursday, February 26, the Coalition explained that several affected nurses and midwives had consistently seen their salary arrears validated in the government payroll system month after month, even though the actual payments were not made. According to the group, the arrears remained reflected on their payment vouchers as accumulated balances.

However, during the most recent payroll validation for February 2026, the Coalition said the previously recorded arrears had suddenly vanished from the payment vouchers of affected members. The group expressed alarm at the development, noting that the balances were removed without any corresponding payments being made to beneficiaries.

The Coalition further alleged that when the matter gained public attention, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department swiftly denied the claims. The group described the response as shocking and unacceptable.

According to the statement, Payroll Validators and Human Resource Officers in various health facilities independently confirmed that the arrears had indeed been cleared from the payment vouchers of the nurses and midwives concerned. The Coalition questioned who authorised the removal of the legitimately earned arrears and on what legal or administrative grounds such action was taken.

Describing the situation as unjust and dishonest, the group argued that the incident reinforces longstanding concerns about transparency and accountability in the management of their salaries. It stressed that nurses and midwives who continue to serve the country diligently cannot accept what it termed the quiet erasure of hard-earned income from official records.

The Coalition is calling on the government to immediately investigate the anomaly, restore all unlawfully removed arrears, and ensure prompt payment. It warned that failure to address the matter could compel members to consider further action to protect their rights and livelihoods.