President Tinubu Moves To Stop Brain Drain In Health Sector

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is taking decisive steps to halt the brain drain in the nation’s health sector.

The Special Adviser to the President on Health Matters, Salma Anas-Ibrahim, said this when she received an award of excellence from the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHeJ) at the State House yesterday in Abuja.

The presidential aide said the Federal Government, through its Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, was putting measures in place to retain medical personnel.

She said the government was ensuring the successful execution of its programmes and policies under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Anas-Ibrahim said President Tinubu has consistently prioritised healthcare delivery which has led to significant strides towards revitalising the health sector.

According to her, the government is aware of the negative effect a depleted and unmotivated healthcare workforce could have on the UHC goal.

The presidential aide said this was the reason the President set up a high-powered committee to holistically address the issues mitigating against retention of medical officers in the country, including their welfare, equipment, and working environment.

She said: “Nurses are the faces of the health facilities because when you enter a healthcare facility, it is the nurse or midwife that does so much for you. And they spend more time with our patients than any other persons.

“So, they are very important to us and very critical in terms of nursing care and the delivery of health care, even when there are no doctors. We do recognise their contributions to healthcare development in Nigeria.

“A lot of issues are coming in from different disciplines of the hospitals, not only in the nursing profession but across the board.

“We are committed in this administration and it is part of the priorities under the human resources issues. One area we want to address in creating an enabling environment is to also address the issue of rivalry.

“We are working assiduously to address all the conflicts and all the areas that will motivate our nurses and midwives and all other health workers at the same time.

“We are on top of the game and we are going to resolve all the issues and ensure that we retain the nurses and midwives.”