The Coordinating Minister of Well being and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, on Sunday, confirmed that the mind drain phenomenon popularly often called ‘Japa Syndrome’, has robbed Nigeria of it’s finest fingers within the well being sector as not lower than 16,000 docs have left the nation in quest of greener pastures in international international locations.
Pate who disclosed this when he featured as a visitor on Channels Tv programme, Politics At this time on Sunday, lamented that Nigeria has seen a era of younger docs, well being staff, tech entrepreneurs and a variety of professionals deserted the nation for greener pasture overseas.
The Minister decried that presently, solely 55,000 licensed docs are within the nation to take care of the rising inhabitants of sufferers following the exodus of well being professionals to hospitals and well being services overseas.
“Within the final 5 years, the nation misplaced about 15,000 to 16,000 docs to the Japa syndrome whereas about 17,000 had been transferred,” he mentioned.
“There are about 300,000 well being professionals working in Nigeria at the moment in all cadres. I’m speaking about docs, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and others. We did an evaluation and found we’ve got 85,000 to 90,000 registered Nigerian docs.
“Not all of them are within the nation. Some are within the Diaspora, particularly within the US and UK. However there are 55,000 licensed docs within the nation.”
“The difficulty total, by way of well being professionals, is that they aren’t sufficient. They’re inadequate by way of the abilities combine. Are you able to consider a lot of the excessive expert skilled docs are in Lagos, Abuja and some city centres? There’s a large distribution difficulty.”
The Minister gave a breakdown of docs at present practising in main Nigerian cities, however famous that the physician to affected person ratio was insufficient for the nation.
“The inhabitants of physician total is about 7,600 docs in Lagos and 4,700 or thereabout in Abuja. The physician to inhabitants ratio in Abuja is 14.7 per 10,000 inhabitants. These are numbers you could confirm. In Lagos, it’s about 4.6, regardless that the common is 2.2 by 10,000.
“There are large distributional points and they’re, in fact, the alternatives even for a few of those that have been educated to get into the market.
“So it’s a must to have a look at it from a perspective that’s holistic. Not solely docs however different cadres which might be essential within the supply of well being care. For docs, we’ve got been dropping many which were educated.”
Pate revealed that the federal authorities was putting in a mechanism to discourage the mind drain syndrome ‘because the oxygen of any critical well being sector is its human useful resource’, and Nigeria can’t afford to proceed dropping its finest brains to the developed international locations.
“Now to the Japa you talked about, it isn’t solely restricted to Nigeria. It’s a international phenomenon. Different international locations don’t have sufficient.
“They’re asking to take extra. It’s not solely in Nigeria. It’s taking place in India, Philippines and different elements of Africa. Within the final 5 years, we’ve got misplaced about 15,000 to 16,000 and about 17,000 had been transferred. We’re barely managing.
“That’s why increasing their coaching will grow to be logical. The identical factor with nurses and midwives; they’re additionally leaving. That’s why increasing the coaching is essential to make sure these nonetheless round are nicely educated.
“We’re starting to take steps to develop the coaching and work atmosphere, taking some steps to encourage salaries and incomes fee to do sure issues that can encourage them to really feel at residence.
“However even the problem of working hours that has come about not too long ago, significantly for the junior docs, is being addressed.
“It is because when a few of their colleagues go away and so they stay at residence, the burden has not lowered.
“And they also work extraordinarily laborious. We’ve listened to that. We’re taking a look at how we will alleviate that and with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, we’re taking a look at how, inside the code of ethics and the rules for the doctor, to supply some safeguards to make sure they’re handled as useful property so they aren’t burnt out,” the Minister mentioned.
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