The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has announced that the Federal Government plans to make the migration of skilled Nigerian Healthcare workers unattractive by investing in Healthcare infrastructure.
The Minister disclosed this on Friday, during the inspection of a recently launched cancer centre in Abuja.
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Recall that Nairametrics reported in July that the FG resumed payments of improved Hazard Allowances to doctors, following threats by resident doctors to embark on strike if their hazard allowance needs were not met.
Other issues they wanted to address included the deplorable state of hospitals, and the lack of protective equipment for members of the union treating COVID-19 patients, which has led to the deaths of some doctors.
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In September, Nairametrics reported that Health workers, under the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), went on a 7-day strike on Monday 14th. The union had earlier warned of impending strike action to protest the poor funding and infrastructural decay in the health sector.
The Minister of Health, on Friday, said that the FG was aware of the challenges facing doctors and planned to provide better funding in the sector.
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“I have heard the challenge of doctors leaving the country. We have plans to provide better funding for our hospitals in Nigeria and make such migration unattractive,” he said.
He added that the Cancer Centre performed well during the pandemic and that the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Jaf Momoh, had indicated plans of the hospital to encourage doctors to remain in the country.
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Bottomline
Nigeria is facing an ever-increasing brain drain in the healthcare industry, due to the rising policies of skill-based immigration in Europe and North America, which give Nigerian healthcare workers access to much better standards of living and salary packages.
The brain drain, however, may not end anytime soon, as Nairametrics reported on Friday that the Canadian government plans to receive over 1.2 million immigrants in three years, from 2021 to 2023.
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