NMA Chair Outlines Steps to Retain Nigerian Doctors Amid Mass Exodus

Discover what the Nigerian Medical Association Chair suggests to address the brain drain in the healthcare sector and retain doctors in the country.

Dr. Happy Adedapo, Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), suggests that offering soft car loans and other substantial incentives to doctors could help solve the issue of medical professionals migrating abroad for better opportunities.

Adedapo, speaking in Ibadan on Thursday, urged governments to offer more incentives to health workers and doctors as a means of mitigating the ‘japa’ syndrome in Nigeria.

He noted that the ‘japa’ phenomenon, a significant challenge for healthcare workers in 2024, would drastically decrease if doctors were provided with better working conditions.

Providing car loans to doctors as an incentive to keep them in the system is a reasonable initiative for the government.

We urge Governor Makinde to provide the medical residency training fund for doctors employed in the state.

The newly implemented adjusted consolidated medical salary scale by the FG should also be applied to doctors in Oyo State.

State workers deserve to benefit from the wage increase as well. Providing additional incentives to doctors is not an excessive request for the government, and it would serve as a motivation for them.

The japa syndrome should be minimized as much as possible.

He suggested that offering soft car loans to doctors could help retain them in Nigeria and discourage them from leaving the country.

Adedapo encouraged health workers and relevant stakeholders to collaborate effectively in order to enhance healthcare delivery in both Oyo State and across Nigeria by 2025.

The head of the Oyo NMA stated that the association will continue collaborating with the state government to achieve shared objectives for the people of Oyo State.

Let’s make synergy our guiding principle this year.

To advance further in 2025, we need to address challenges like inadequate remuneration, staff shortages, unreliable power supply, and other issues.

Oyo NMA is making every effort to address the issue by alerting relevant government agencies about quackery in the state, effectively serving as whistleblowers.

“We are committed, alongside the government, to eliminating quackery activities in the state,” he stated.

Adedapo expressed gratitude to the workers for their contributions to maintaining the health care system.

Despite all the challenges, the key players continue to give their best efforts to ensure that the system remains stable.

“Let’s all keep striving to assist patients, who could be anyone, as we place our trust in God and the government for improved working conditions this year,” Adedapo stated.