Resign Before Migrating Abroad – Nigerian Government Tells Health Workers

The Federal Government has issued a directive that health workers going abroad for greener pastures, must resign their appointment, before embarking on such a journey.

Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Saturday during his visit to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He said the era of health workers migrating to foreign countries in search of better offers after applying for leave of absence is no longer acceptable.

Alausa explained that the ban on the leave of absence for health workers followed the executive order issued by President Bola Tinubu as part of steps to combat the challenge of brain drain in the nation’s health sector, as a result of ‘japa syndrome’

The minister also revealed that the FG is aggressively tackling the challenge of manpower in the health sector, noting that the annual enrollment of nurses which used to be 28,000 has become 68,000 and that by the end of this year, it would go up to 120,000.

He said the President considered the biggest asset of the country to be the people and is vowed to take proactive actions to ensure that the health sector is in good shape so that the health of the people too will not suffer.

Alausa said, “The government is not unmindful of the ‘Japa’ effect on our manpower in the health sector and the President has ordered for massive production of manpower such that when people go, there will always be a replacement.

“It is against this background that we are working intensely on the enrollment of nurses. What used to be 28,000, is now 68,000, and we intend to take it to 120,000 by the end of the year. So, there will always be abundant skilled manpower to take over from those leaving the job.

“We have equally doubled our enrollment for doctors, dentistry, and pharmacists among others. Again, we didn’t say anyone who wants to move or japa to the UK or Australia to take up appointments there should not go, it is a free world.

“However you can’t eat your cake and have it. If you are going, just resign your appointments with the federal government, rather than applying for a leave of absence. That is the Presidential executive order which has been communicated to all the Chief Medical Directors of Federal Government-owned health facilities to implement.

“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 appointment and not apply for leave of absence. This way, you won’t be blocking the chances of others who want to work and of course, piling burdens for your colleagues that you left behind”