The Minister of State for Well being, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has expressed confidence that the mass emigration of healthcare professionals, popularly often known as the “japa syndrome,” will quickly subside.
Talking throughout a working go to to the College of Benin Educating Hospital (UBTH) on Monday, Salako credited this optimism to the centered reforms and insurance policies launched by President Bola Tinubu’s administration aimed toward strengthening the well being sector.
“Inside Nigeria’s financial realities, well being staff are among the many best-paid professionals,” Salako acknowledged, including, “Nevertheless, past wage will increase, we should domesticate a stronger sense of dedication and fervour for the occupation.”
He emphasised that enhancing docs’ salaries alone wouldn’t resolve the challenges going through the healthcare sector. “If we improve docs’ pay, different professionals, reminiscent of lecturers, will even demand pay raises,” he defined.
Salako urged healthcare professionals to embrace patriotism and take into account the long-term advantages of staying within the nation. “East or West, house is finest. Irrespective of the place you go exterior your nation, you stay a second-class citizen,” he mentioned.
Acknowledging the challenges confronted by tertiary hospitals, notably in energy provide, Salako praised UBTH for its progressive administration of the problem. He pledged elevated authorities funding for public hospitals, emphasizing, “Well being is the essence of dwelling, and sufficient funding is vital to addressing the sector’s challenges.”
The minister additionally linked the “japa syndrome” to broader financial points, noting that it required a complete strategy. “With the insurance policies in place, notably these centered on capability constructing, the tide will quickly flip,” he mentioned.
Prof. Darlington Obaseki, Chief Medical Director of UBTH, highlighted the extreme staffing shortages on the hospital regardless of its repute for reasonably priced, high-quality care. “We at the moment have greater than 500 sufferers however solely 750 nurses working throughout three shifts. That is barely enough to cowl the clinics, theatres, and inpatient care. We even have about 250 consultants and fewer than 300 resident docs,” Obaseki mentioned.
He known as on the federal government to urgently tackle the scarcity of healthcare staff to keep up the standard of service supply.
