Victoria Mbangwa
In a bid to address manpower shortages in Nigeria’s health sector, the Federal Government has intensified efforts to recruit more health professionals and engage Nigerian medical experts in the diaspora.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, made this known on Friday during an inspection tour of federal health facilities in Ogun State, including the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, and the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta.
Speaking at a town hall meeting at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Salako emphasized the government’s strategy to mitigate the growing brain drain of medical professionals, commonly referred to as the “japa syndrome.” According to him, the government has received approval from President Bola Tinubu to prioritize health sector employment and expand training opportunities for health workers.
“We are expanding our capacity to train health workers, we are also harvesting the Nigerian health workers in the diaspora – we are having a robust diasporan engagement with Nigerian health workers in the UK, US, and Ireland, they may not be physically present but we can still harvest their contributions to the health sector in Nigeria.
“Mr President has given us a waiver to recruit more health workers than any other sector. These are the mechanisms we are putting in place to make sure that we address the challenges in the health sector”, Salako stated.
In addition to workforce expansion, Salako called for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments in implementing health policies. He particularly urged Ogun State to domesticate the Mental Health Act, a move that would enhance access to mental healthcare services.
Responding to the minister’s call, Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, affirmed the state’s commitment to domesticating the act, citing the growing need for mental health support due to societal pressures.
He said, “We are going to domesticate the act because it’s one of our commitments to the people. With the pressure of society, more people suffer from mental health challenges. It is our job to ensure that our citizens are kept safe.
“Collaboration with the federal government is continuous daily. We collaborate on the primary health level. We have facilities that the federal government is helping us to upgrade. We will continue to partner with the federal government in every area possible to serve the good people of our dear state”.
Meanwhile, the Provost and Medical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Dr. Paul Agboola, expressed optimism about the collaboration between the state and federal governments, stating that such partnerships would enhance healthcare delivery in the state.
With the government’s renewed focus on recruiting health professionals and leveraging diaspora expertise, stakeholders are hopeful that these efforts will improve Nigeria’s healthcare system and reduce the negative impact of medical brain drain.
