Posted on: Tue 22-04-2025

The mass departure of Nigerian doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals — now widely known as the JAPA phenomenon — is more than just another headline; it’s a loud and clear warning sign that the country cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Hospitals across Nigeria are running short on trained manpower, and the numbers are both staggering and heartbreaking. In the last few years alone, nearly 16,000 doctors and more than 15,000 nurses have packed their bags and left the country in search of better opportunities abroad. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet — they are the hands and hearts that once cared for our families, and the minds we invested public funds to train.

The reasons behind this exodus are no mystery: poor pay, inadequate working conditions, lack of professional respect, outdated infrastructure, and broken promises from leadership. These issues have pushed even the most dedicated health workers to a breaking point. The system has left them with little choice but to seek dignity and better conditions elsewhere.

But must it be this way?

It doesn’t have to. And frankly, it shouldn’t.

Nigeria must realize that simply training more doctors and nurses will not stop the flow abroad. Increasing the number of graduates without improving the conditions that drove their predecessors away is like trying to fill a leaking bucket. The core issues — fair wages, proper equipment, safe work environments, and genuine career prospects — must be addressed head-on, not swept under the rug or delayed endlessly with hollow promises.

The truth is, the solution isn’t complicated. The government should start by respecting the agreements it has already made. For example, the Scheme of Service for Nurses approved since 2016 remains un-gazetted, leaving many health professionals stuck in limbo regarding their salaries and career growth. Court rulings about worker welfare have been ignored, and years of patient negotiation by unions have been met with silence. Is it any surprise that patience has run out?

If policymakers are truly serious about reversing this trend, the answer lies in creating a work environment that inspires health workers to stay, not one that forces them to flee.

It is encouraging that the Federal Government has taken some steps — increasing training quotas, drafting the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration, and attempting to address the uneven distribution of doctors across the country. These are all welcome moves, but they are only part of the puzzle.

More emphasis should be placed on rewarding those who choose to stay — not just with money, but with the dignity and tools they need to do their jobs well. Incentives for rural postings, modern medical equipment, transparent promotion systems, and proper recognition of health workers’ contributions can go a long way toward rebuilding faith in the system.

And let’s not forget the dangerous path of unregulated growth. The rush to establish new nursing schools across the country, without proper funding or oversight, is no substitute for real reform. If the conditions remain unchanged, these graduates will simply join the queue of health workers seeking greener pastures abroad — and the cycle will continue.

So the question is not “why are they leaving?” — the question is: what is being done to make them want to stay?

The government, health agencies, and private sector all need to treat this as the national emergency that it is. Health workers are not just employees — they are the backbone of the nation’s wellbeing. If we fail to protect and value them, it is ordinary Nigerians, especially those in rural and underserved areas, who will pay the highest price.

The solutions are within reach, but the political will must match the urgency of the problem. The time to act is now — before the next generation of health workers also chooses to JAPA.

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