Kwara's Health Crisis: 89 Doctors Left as 'Japa' Syndrome Takes Toll

 

The healthcare system in Kwara State is gasping for air and not just from patients.

Dr. Abdulrahman Malik, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Hospital Management Board, has raised the alarm over a critical shortage of medical doctors in government-owned hospitals across the state. Speaking at the first quarter Interministerial Press Briefing on April 29, Malik laid bare the harsh realities caused by the country’s ongoing “Japa” wave the mass migration of professionals seeking better opportunities abroad.

According to Malik, while the state requires between 180 and 200 doctors, only 89 are currently on the government’s payroll. “We just moved from 86 to 89 recently after three doctors who had earlier resigned returned, following the introduction of an upgraded salary structure,” he revealed.

Despite the Kwara State Government's efforts including salary upgrades that now match federal pay scales the incentive hasn’t been enough to keep doctors from leaving, particularly those posted to rural areas. Malik lamented that younger doctors, in particular, are unwilling to accept placements in remote communities.

To mitigate the crisis, the government has also launched an internship program for nurses, aimed at training new healthcare professionals to replace the many who have left for greener pastures.

“The mass exodus of health professionals is severely affecting our capacity to provide adequate care,” Malik said, noting that Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio currently stands at a staggering 1 to 5,000 a far cry from the 1 to 600 recommended by the World Health Organization.

Kwara State's situation reflects a broader national crisis, but officials remain hopeful that the new incentives and programs will help stabilize the sector before more healthcare talent disappears across the border.