Tinubu Vows to Curb Japa as FG Employs 30,000 Health Workers

President Bola Tinubu has pledged to intensify efforts to curb the migration of Nigerian medical professionals abroad, popularly known as Japa, while encouraging skilled health workers to return home and contribute to the country’s healthcare system.

Tinubu made the pledge on Monday in Abuja through the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, at the opening and induction ceremony of the 50th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the West African College of Physicians, marking the institution’s golden jubilee.

FG Employs Over 30,000 Health Professionals

The President said the Federal Government had employed more than 30,000 health professionals in federal health facilities over the past two and a half years as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s healthcare workforce.

He added that the administration had trained thousands of frontline health workers, strengthened specialist medical institutions and doubled medical education quotas to address Nigeria’s growing demand for healthcare professionals.

“We will work hard to stem the trend of Japa so that we have the people coming back to serve in our region,” Tinubu said.

The government’s approach, he explained, prioritises recruiting, retaining, supporting and training healthcare workers to improve service delivery and address workforce shortages.

Tinubu Promises Healthcare Infrastructure Improvements

Tinubu said his administration was implementing reforms to improve healthcare infrastructure, expand health insurance coverage and strengthen primary healthcare services across the country.

According to the President, investments have been directed towards constructing, rehabilitating and equipping health facilities, while efforts are ongoing to modernise tertiary hospitals and revitalise primary healthcare centres.

He also highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen direct financing for primary healthcare facilities through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, which is intended to support service delivery at the grassroots level.

“We firmly believe that quality healthcare is not a privilege reserved for a few, but a fundamental right that should be accessible to every resident of Nigeria,” he said.

Government Embraces Digital Healthcare Solutions

The President further disclosed that the government was leveraging digital innovation to improve patient records, disease surveillance and data-driven decision-making within the healthcare system.

Such initiatives form part of the administration’s broader efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve the capacity of medical facilities to serve Nigerians.

Medical Brain Drain Remains a Key Challenge

The migration of Nigerian doctors and other healthcare professionals to foreign countries in search of better working conditions, remuneration and career opportunities remains a major concern for the country’s health sector.

Tinubu’s pledge signals the government’s intention to address the issue through recruitment, training, infrastructure investment and measures aimed at encouraging professionals to remain in Nigeria or return from abroad.

However, the statement did not specify new salary packages, retention incentives, implementation timelines or dedicated funding arrangements for persuading medical professionals to return.

The effectiveness of the proposed approach will depend partly on whether improvements in working conditions, remuneration, equipment and career development can make service in Nigeria more attractive to healthcare workers.