Health services in Kwara State are under strain as the government laments a shortage of doctors, blaming the situation on the rising wave of medical professionals leaving the country for greener pastures.
Speaking during a ministerial press briefing organised by the Ministry of Communication, the Executive Secretary of the Hospital Management Board, Abdulraheem AbdulMalik, described the situation as alarming and linked it to the ongoing brain drain, popularly referred to as the “Japa” syndrome, affecting Nigeria’s health sector.
AbdulMalik revealed that despite Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s approval for the recruitment of new doctors, the board has been unable to find qualified candidates willing to work with the state government.
“We have the governor’s approval to recruit doctors, but we simply can’t find them. Doctors are hot cakes now. If a doctor resigns in the morning, he’ll likely get another job that same afternoon,” he said.
According to him, the state currently has only 99 medical doctors, far below the 180 to 200 required to adequately serve its hospitals. He noted that three doctors who had earlier resigned returned to service after the recent salary increase approved by the governor.
“We had 96 doctors, but after His Excellency increased the salary, three who had left returned. We’re now at 99 and expect more to come back soon,” he added.
To improve patient experience and efficiency, the board is developing a software application that will provide real-time information on the number of doctors available across its 45 health facilities. The system aims to reduce long waiting periods and prevent health emergencies that could occur while patients wait to see a doctor.
AbdulMalik noted that the manpower shortage is more pronounced in rural areas, where retaining doctors remains a major challenge. He said the board is working on new incentive and remuneration packages, within available resources, to make state service more competitive and attractive.
He added that the government has also designed a retention plan to close the gap in the number of medical doctors over the next four years.
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