Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on governments at all levels to incentivise doctors and other healthcare workers in order to stem the rising wave of migration popularly referred to as ‘Japa’ .
Obasanjo made the call on Monday, June 17, during the commissioning of a new hospital facility in Zamfara State.
Speaking at the event, the former Nigeria president expressed concern over the exodus of doctors and other healthcare workers who are leaving the country in search of better working conditions abroad.
“For hospitals, especially when many Nigerians who have been trained as medical personnel are ‘japa-ing’—which is going out of the country, looking for better conditions—how do you hold them here?” Obasanjo queried. “You have to give them a bit of incentive.”
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He stressed that for hospitals to function effectively and meet the health needs of Nigerians, there must be a deliberate effort to create the right working environment.
“We need all the personnel that we can have because our hospitals have to deliver,” he said. “You need the right environment, and that involves refurbishing and renovation. But beyond that, you also need the right equipment and, most importantly, the personnel.”
Obasanjo’s remarks come amid growing concerns over the mass departure of Nigerian doctors, nurses, and other health workers to countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, leaving many local hospitals understaffed and overstretched.