The Federal Government through the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa has issued a directive that health workers seeking employment opportunities abroad must resign their appointments before leaving.
Alausa revealed this on Saturday, stating that the era where health workers could apply for leave of absence and pursue opportunities in other countries has ended.
Dr. Alausa disclosed that the ban on leave of absence for health workers resulted from an executive order issued by President Bola Tinubu, who aims to combat the ‘Japa Syndrome’ facing the nation’s health sector.
The ‘Japa Syndrome’ refers to Nigerians leaving the country in search of better opportunities.
During his visit to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, the minister stated that the government is taking proactive steps to address the challenge of manpower shortages in the health sector.
The Federal Government has increased the annual enrolment of nurses from 28,000 to 68,000, with plans to further raise it to 120,000 by the end of the year.
“The problem with the leave of absence is that such a fellow is out there in the UK or Australia working, making money but his name still appears on the payment roll of the government and so to replace him is difficult because he is still being considered as a staff whereas he has left the country.
“So, to solve this problem, the President has directed that health workers going abroad to work should just resign their appointments and not apply for leave of absence. This way, you won’t be blocking others who want to work and of course piling burdens for your colleagues that you left behind,” he said.
He said that the government is committed to ensuring an abundant supply of skilled manpower to fill vacancies left by those seeking employment abroad.
The minister also addressed the demands of health institutions, promising increased funding, infrastructural development, and improved welfare packages to enhance the overall state of the health sector in the country.