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Japa: 16000 Doctors Left Nigeria In Five Years – Minister

The Federal Government on Sunday disclosed that the phenomenon of brain drain, often referred to as ‘Japa Syndrome’, has deprived Nigeria of its top talent in the health sector, with no fewer than 16,000 doctors leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Sunday.
Pate lamented that Nigeria has witnessed a generation of young doctors, health workers, tech entrepreneurs, and various professionals abandoning the country for better opportunities abroad.
His words: “In the last five years, the country lost about 15,000 to 16,000 doctors to the Japa syndrome, while about 17,000 had been transferred,” he said.
“There are about 300,000 health professionals working in Nigeria today in all cadres. I am talking about doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and others. We did an assessment and discovered we have 85,000 to 90,000 registered Nigerian doctors.
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“Not all of them are in the country. Some are in the diaspora, especially in the US and UK. But there are 55,000 licenced doctors in the country.
“The issue overall, in terms of health professionals, is that they are not enough. They are insufficient in terms of the skill mix. Can you believe most of the highly skilled professional doctors are in Lagos, Abuja, and a few urban centres? There is a huge distribution issue.”
The minister, who provided a detailed account of the doctors currently practicing in major Nigerian cities, highlighted that the doctor-to-patient ratio was insufficient for the country.
“The population of doctors overall is about 7,600 in Lagos and 4,700 or thereabout in Abuja. The doctor to population ratio in Abuja is 14.7 per 10,000 people. These are numbers that you can verify. In Lagos, it is about 4.6, even though the average is 2.2 by 10,000.
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“There are huge distributional issues, and they are, of course, the opportunities even for some of those who have been trained to get into the market.
“So you have to look at it from a holistic perspective. Not only doctors but other cadres are important in the delivery of health care. For doctors, we have been losing many that have been trained.”
Pate affirmed that the government is making efforts to expand the training scheme and motivate those who choose to stay back and serve their country.
“Now to the Japa you talked about, it is not only limited to Nigeria. It is a global phenomenon. Other countries don’t have enough.
“They are asking to take more. It is not only in Nigeria. It is happening in India, the Philippines, and other parts of Africa. In the last five years, we have lost about 15,000 to 16,000, and about 17,000 have been transferred. We’re barely managing.
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“That’s why expanding their training will become logical. The same thing happens with nurses and midwives; they are also leaving. That’s why expanding the training is important to ensure those still around are well trained.
“We are beginning to take steps to expand the training and work environment, taking some steps to encourage salaries and incomes commissions to do certain things that will encourage them to feel at home.
“But even the issue of working hours that has come about recently, particularly for the junior doctors, is being addressed.
“This is because when some of their colleagues leave and they remain at home, the burden has not been reduced.
“And so they work extremely hard. We’ve listened to that. We are looking at how we can alleviate that, and with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, we are looking at how, within the code of ethics and the guidelines for the physician, to provide some safeguards to ensure they are treated as valuable assets so they are not burnt out,” the Minister said.
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Israeli Mission To Bolster Wellbeing Of Orphans In Nigeria
The Israeli Embassy in Nigeria has promised to bolster the wellbeing of orphans in Nigeria.
Deputy Chief of Mission of the embassy, Inbar Garden stated this in Abuja while donating food items to the Hope for Survival Orphanage, Gishsiri community, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
She said aside helping to promote collaboration between Nigeria and Israel, the mission is committed to supporting the wellbeing of the orphans.
Garden said, “We just want to ensure the orphans have a better future and not taken for granted.
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“It takes a person with a giant heart to give themselves to the society and make other peoples life matter.
“I urge you, children at the Orphanage to be focused on your future, because you are not going to stay in this place forever.
“Just dream big and say it loud, and go get your dreams fulfilled.”
Also,the Proprietress of the orphanage, Ruth Ibrahim, thanked the embassy for the kind gesture,
According to her, even for you to come here is not easy due to the deplorable road to the orphanage.
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“We thank God for the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike’s intervention, the road was so bad, at least he has repaired it, such that we can easily come into the orphanage as against before.
“God bless and enrich you for putting smiles on our faces, this is good, because we have never seen such a large cooking of meal like this in our orphanage,” Ibrahim said.
She decried lack of access to medical services and paucity of funds toward the construction of fence around the orphanage, to be major challenges they faced.
The orphanage have 67 children, with two having graduated from university and eight of them are currently in SS3, preparing for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam.
The highpoint of the event is a treat for the children at the orphanage to a buffet by the Israeli deputy chief of mission.
News
Isokpan Sworn In As Egor LG Vice Chairman, Pledges Loyalty to Okpebholo’s SHINE Agenda
The Egor Local Government Council Secretariat was abuzz on Monday as Hon. Kenny Isokpan was officially sworn in as the Vice-Chairman of the Council, in a colourful ceremony attended by party leaders, stakeholders, and community groups.
The event drew a large gathering, including the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Governor, Hon. Plus Alile, alongside other prominent political figures.
In his address, the Acting Chairman of the council, Hon. Osaro Eribo, described Isokpan as a vibrant and energetic youth whose emergence heralded renewed vigour in the Council’s leadership.
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He expressed confidence that the new Vice-Chairman would work closely with him to advance Governor Monday Okpebholo’s SHINE Agenda at the grassroots level.
Shortly after assuming office, Isokpan lauded Okpebholo for his developmental strides across the state and for providing him the platform to serve.
He pledged unwavering loyalty to the governor, the party leadership, and Eribo, vowing to contribute his quota towards repositioning Egor in line with the progressive vision of the administration.
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The new Vice-Chairman also expressed gratitude to the State Chairman of the APC, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, for his steadfast leadership, and commended party leaders at the state, local government, and ward levels for their support.
He gave special recognition to a prominent Egor leader, Hon. Osahon Airhunmwunde, for standing by him during his most challenging moments.
Isokpan further acknowledged the solidarity of the Red Cross Society and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), stressing that their support reflected broad-based confidence in the ruling party’s grassroots agenda.
News
Dangote Group Agrees To redeploy Workers Sacked By Refinery
After a peace meeting, the Dangote Group has agreed to redeploy the workers sacked by its subsidiary, Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The resolution was announced on Wednesday by the ministry of labour and employment in a statement on the outcome of the reconciliation meetings held on Monday and Tuesday.
Aliko Dangote, founder of Dangote Group, and representatives of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) met on Tuesday with Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, and Mohammed Dingyadi, minister of labour and employment to resolve the labour dispute.
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Disclosing other agreements reached during the meeting, the ministry said the parties agreed that the disengaged workers will be absorbed by other subsidiaries in Dangote Group without loss of pay.
“The Honourable Minister of Labour informed the meeting that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected,” the ministry said
“After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay.
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“No worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.
“PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike.
“Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith.”
On September 26, PENGASSAN instructed its members to embark on a nationwide strike over the dismissal of workers by Dangote refinery.
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