The Ministry of Health has announced a new policy prohibiting health workers from taking leave of absence.
It has also revealed plans to recruit 120,000 additional nurses.
The government said it has put a rule that healthcare workers cannot take time off if they want to work abroad.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa; said this on Saturday in Abeokuta, adding that if health workers want to go abroad for better opportunities, they have to quit their jobs first before they can leave.
During his visit to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Aro, the Minister talked about how President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order addressed brain drain in the health sector, also known as ‘Japa Syndrome’.
He mentioned that the yearly number of nurses joining has increased significantly from about 28,000 to 68,000 and is projected to reach 120,000 by the end of the year.
Arogidigba Global Journal reports that doctors, nurses and other health workers are leaving the country in large numbers to seek greener pastures abroad