Vice President Kashim Shettima has commended Nigerian doctors for their significant contributions and sacrifices in improving healthcare delivery in the country. During a recent meeting with the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Shettima appealed to medical practitioners to resist the allure of working abroad and instead collaborate with the current administration to enhance the nation’s healthcare system.

Shettima assured the doctors that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to their welfare and empathetic towards those who choose to stay despite the “Japa syndrome”—a term describing the mass migration of professionals seeking better opportunities abroad.

According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, the NMA leadership, led by President Bala Audu, visited Shettima at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

Shettima praised the doctors’ dedication and urged them to remain steadfast, emphasizing their crucial role in the country’s development. “Let us stay back and salvage this nation together. This is our country, the greatest black nation on earth, and a promising nation that we need to invest in,” he said. He highlighted the NMA as one of the most prestigious associations in Nigeria and acknowledged their efforts in advancing the healthcare sector.

The Vice President also encouraged the NMA to motivate young doctors to specialize in key medical disciplines and to help curb the activities of quacks within the profession.

NMA’s Support and Comments

NMA President Bala Audu expressed solidarity with the Tinubu administration, especially regarding its health sector policies. He emphasized the NMA’s dedication to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to deliver quality healthcare to all Nigerians.

“The NMA has come here today as a partner to your government and a patriotic group of Nigerians dedicated to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda of this government and to ensure that this government delivers quality healthcare to all Nigerians,” Audu stated. He reassured that the NMA would play a crucial role in stabilizing the health sector and supporting the government’s initiatives.

Audu highlighted that the Tinubu administration’s health policies would increase training spaces for specialists and improve postgraduate medical training quality. He also expressed confidence that the government would address infrastructural needs and provide better remuneration to encourage Nigerian doctors to remain in the country.

Addressing Brain Drain

Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, recently lamented the ongoing brain drain affecting the country’s health system. Many trained health professionals migrate to developed countries seeking better working conditions and a higher quality of life.

From 2015 to 2022, over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors migrated to the UK, according to the Development Research and Project Centre (dRPC). The annual migration numbers have steadily increased, highlighting the urgent need for improved conditions to retain medical talent within Nigeria.