In a bid to curb the ‘Japa’ syndrome, the Nigerian government introduces a N2 million grant for medical doctors, encouraging them to stay and work within the country.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has introduced a substantial financial incentive to prevent the growing trend of medical professionals leaving Nigeria, commonly known as the “Japa” syndrome.
In order to improve the standard of healthcare services in the state, 150 medical doctors will receive support for their residency training from a ₦200 million allocation courtesy of the governor.
During a meeting with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Maiduguri on Wednesday, Governor Zulum announced this.
In Nigeria, the colloquial term “Japa” is commonly used to refer to skilled professionals leaving their home country in search of better opportunities overseas.
FG targets Nigerian doctors who have completed postgraduate training abroad with the “Japa” trend
As a component of this program, the government of Borno will grant 50 presently employed doctors ₦2 million each.
Moreover, a sum of ₦1 million each will be disbursed to more than 100 doctors who hail from Borno State and are employed in federal establishments. The objective of this initiative is to augment their current remunerations and perks.
The governor stressed that the objective of this monetary assistance is to provide doctors with enhanced clinical abilities, hands-on training, and specific education so as to ultimately enhance healthcare services throughout the area.
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Rewriting: Tackling the Issue of Brain Drain.
The health sector in Nigeria has been significantly impacted by a massive exodus of highly skilled professionals, commonly referred to as brain drain. Every year, thousands of medical experts abandon their home country for greener pastures elsewhere. According to the Coordinating Minister responsible for both Health and Social Welfare matters – Muhammad Pate, this problem is becoming increasingly severe; only 55k doctors are licensed due to the loss of over 16k physicians who left during just five years.
In a bid to address this challenge, President Bola Tinubu has recently authorized the implementation of the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration.
The policy is specifically crafted to effectively tackle and curb health workforce migration by streamlining its management system while simultaneously offering enticing incentives to prompt professionals’ return and facilitating their reintegration into Nigeria’s national healthcare domain.
Healthcare Initiatives in Borno
The governor of Borno State, Zulum, emphasized his commitment to improving healthcare services in the region. He recognized the joint contributions made by national health authorities towards these advancements and highlighted that proficient medical experts are significant in delivering exceptional healthcare quality.
The governor disclosed a range of proposed measures aimed at improving the healthcare sector in the state.
These actions include hiring more than 1,000 medical staff, erecting residences for doctors, launching a university teaching hospital and providing scholarships to prospective physicians. Furthermore, he signaled his intention to apportion over 15% of the state’s financial resources towards healthcare with an emphasis on enhancing primary care facilities.
The seal of approval from NMA
The NMA praised Governor Zulum for his initiatives and crowned him as a “champion” of healthcare quality and health workers’ welfare.
Bala Audu, the President of NMA, appreciated the governor’s leadership skills and urged ongoing advocacy efforts towards delivering universal high-quality healthcare services. He further acknowledged remarkable progress in medical outreach programs and infrastructure development that remarkably enhanced healthcare delivery across Borno State.
