Brain Drain: FG bans leave of absence for health workers, increases Nurses’ Recruitment to 120,000

The FG has imposed a restriction on leave of absence for healthcare workers seeking to move overseas.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa on March 9th said the ban on the leave of absence for health workers followed the executive order issued by the President as part of steps to combat the challenge of brain drain in the nation’s health sector, as a result of ‘japa syndrome’.

Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr. Alausa also revealed that the FG has commenced aggressive production of manpower in the health sector, such that the annual enrollment of nurses which used to be 28,000 is now 68,000 & that by the end of this year, it would have gone up to 120,000.

He said that President Tinubu considered the biggest asset of the country to be the people & has not only vowed but has taken proactive actions to ensure the health sector is in good shape so that the health of the people too won’t suffer.