“At long last, the battle has ended…” — these timeless words of the Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah echo powerfully today as the long, painful struggle of the Rx22 PharmD house officers reaches a long-overdue resolution. After months of uncertainty, advocacy, and frustration, financial clearance has finally been secured, bringing relief not only to the affected officers but to all who stood with them in solidarity.

What follows is not just a recount of events, but a chronicle of resilience, resistance, and the relentless pursuit of justice in Ghana’s healthcare system.

First, it is imperative to commend all stakeholders, partners, and individuals who contributed in one way or another to this resolution. The resilience and patience of the Rx22 house officers, who continued to serve Ghana’s health system under trying conditions, is worthy of rapturous applause.

The background: learning from the past

In December 2022, the Rx22 cohort wrote their Ghana Pharmacy Professional Qualifying Examination (GPPQE), but their housemanship postings were delayed until May 2023. This decision was based on lessons learned from the Rx21 cohort, whose financial clearance delays caused significant distress. In the past, the norm had been that PharmD House Officers were posted after induction without Financial Clearance (FC) which was pursued and when granted, it took a retrospective effect from when the House Officers began the housemanship. In 2021, the Ministry of Finance was adamant in granting the FC to the RX21 since they were not cleared to start the housemanship. It took a lot of advocacy and engagement to get the MOF to issue the FC for the RX21.  Stakeholders, therefore, resolved that future postings would not proceed without prior financial clearance—a directive reinforced by advice from the Deputy Minister of Finance in Charge of budget at the time, who instructed the Ministry of Health not to do any postings without prior financial clearance.

Thus, after writing the professional examination, the RX22 had to wait for the FC from the MOF before posting. The PSGH leadership continued its engagement, appeal and advocacy with the MOH and MOF for the FC which was not forthcoming. It must be noted that the PSGH has advocated for the Pharmacy Council to consider migrating house officers unto the permanent register of pharmacists, which traditionally requires completion of the mandatory housemanship. The Pharmacy Council was graceful to grant this request.

Commitment despite the odds

Official engagements toward securing financial clearance (FC) for the 2022 cohort of PharmD house officers (Rx22) commenced in earnest in January 2023. The PSGH actively engaged key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Pharmacy Council, to advocate for the timely posting and payment of house officers. On 3rd January 2023, the MOH formally wrote to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) requesting financial clearance for 320 PharmD house officers. A follow-up letter—dated 12th June 2023 and signed by the Director of Human Resources at MOH—served as a reminder, emphasizing that the officers had been duly inducted and verified by the Pharmacy Council and were set to begin their one-year mandatory housemanship.

 

On March 2, 2023, PSGH leadership met virtually with the Rx22 house officers to provide updates on their clearance and express solidarity. Despite the absence of financial clearance, some house officers voluntarily signed undertakings and began their housemanship between May and July 2023 with the hope that as was done before, the FC when issued, would take a retrospective effect.

Persistent engagement and advocacy

The PSGH, together with the Early Career Pharmaceutical Group (ECPG), continued engagements with both the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Finance (MOF). In December 2023, the Chief Director at MOF assured PSGH that provisions had been made in the 2024 national budget to cater for the house officers.

That same month, PSGH and ECPG held another meeting with the house officers and issued follow-up letters to both MOH and MOF.

In March 2024, FC was granted for 320 PharmD house officers, following sustained advocacy and engagement with the MOF. However, the approval explicitly stated that the clearance would take effect from June 1, 2024, and could not be applied retrospectively. This posed a significant challenge, as the Rx22 cohort had already completed over eight months of their housemanship by that date. Applying the FC to Rx22 would have meant they would only receive payment for the remaining four months, and may have been required to restart a full 12-month housemanship to qualify for full compensation. Consequently, the MOH decided to apply the FC to the incoming 2023 cohort, while pursuing a separate clearance to resolve the outstanding payments for Rx22. It is important to note that the MOF had earlier instructed the MOH not to post house officers without prior clearance.

High-level political engagements

PSGH and ECPG leadership immediately started re-engaging the MOH and MOF for a new FC exclusively for RX22 as what was issued could not take retrospective effect but rather was to take effect from 1st June, 2024 when RX22 will have been completing the housemanship.

In April 2024, during an engagement session with PSGH and other pharmaceutical stakeholders at KAMA Conference Center, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and then-Presidential candidate of the ruling party expressed surprise at the delays and pledged his support. The Minister for Health, Hon. Okoe Boye, present at the session, confirmed that he had seen related documents. As a follow up to the engagements and discussions, PSGH sent a letter to the Vice President’s office, which was referred to the Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare. He assured PSGH that the portal for recruitment of health professionals would soon open and house officers would be prioritized.

 

AGM 2024: raising the issue again

At the 2024 PSGH Annual General Meeting, the issue took center stage. In his opening remarks, the PSGH President once again appealed to the Government for urgent intervention. In the  speech delivered at the AGM by the Kwamohene on behalf of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu I, the PSGH managed to get the issue described in the speech to keep it in the public domain. He described the situation as unfair and troubling and called on the government to act swiftly. This was carried by several media outlets.

The Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, delivered a clear and unequivocal assurance to the AGM. He stated that the Ministry of Finance would issue the necessary financial clearance for the PharmD house officers and emphasized that his office had been specifically instructed to ensure the matter is resolved without further delay.

Following the AGM, the PSGH released a communiqué, widely circulated in the media and submitted to Parliament, the Presidency, MOH, MOF.. Portions of the communique read…

“Delays in financial clearance and postings for pharmacy house officers continue to demoralize early career pharmacists. We call on the Government of Ghana to pay the 2022 pharmacists who have completed their compulsory 12-month housemanship some months ago. In future, we propose a collaborative committee, involving the PSGH, Ministry of Health, Pharmacy Council, and Ministry of Finance, to ensure timely postings and payment for pharmacy house officers.”

Election setbacks and continued actions

As Ghana approached the 2024 general elections, national attention shifted, and several PSGH follow-ups with the government did not yield the desired outcome. After the elections, PSGH sent formal letters to President-elect H.E. John Dramani Mahama, MOF, MOH, and the Chairperson of the Transition Team, emphasizing the urgency of resolving the Rx22 matter or ensuring it wasn’t lost during the transition.

The President-elect referred the matter back to the MOH. Following the referall, the PSGH conducted two working visits to the incumbent Minister for Health. During these meetings, the Rx22 financial clearance issue and the broader need for a sustainable, long-term solution to recurring clearance delays were thoroughly discussed. At one of these meetings, the PSGH President made a passionate appeal to the Minister to intervene and facilitate the issuance of the outstanding clearance, so the matter could be resolved amicably and withdrawn from the courts [Rx 22 had taken the issue to court]

A reminder letter was sent to the Minister for Health and Minister of Finance on 13th May, 2025.

 

The RX22 approach

Rx22 deserves special commendation for their bold and strategic use of networks, digital advocacy, social media platforms, and media engagements to amplify their plight and demand action, and augment the diplomatic engagements of the PSGH. Notably, their decision to initiate a court action—though later withdrawn—was a courageous step that drew national attention to their situation.

This moment presents a powerful reminder of the potential of digital tools and collective voice in shaping health policy. The Society needs to harness the power of digital advocacy and the dexterity of its Early Career Group to champion the course of the pharmacy profession and hold systems accountable.

Way forward

While the recent clearance for Rx22 marks meaningful progress, it must not be the end of the conversation. All stakeholders must work together in developing a permanent framework that guarantees timely financial clearance and posting for all pharmacy house officers.

 

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