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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
President of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Haruna Mamman, has disclosed that records available to the association indicate that about 15,495 nurses have left Nigeria for foreign practice as of February 2025.
A few days ago, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, made a similar revelation when he said 16, 000 medical doctors had left Nigeria for foreign practice in the last five years. Available records further indicated that more doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers have also indicated interest to leave Nigeria to pursue professional opportunities and experience abroad.
The NANNM president, however, told journalists at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja that the situation was becoming alarming and could pose a huge manpower threat to timely and quality health care delivery services in Nigeria.
He blamed the government for being lackadaisical on the issues of nurses and midwives’ welfare and conditions of service with particular reference to the scheme of service for the health workers, which was approved in 2016, but yet to be gazetted, about nine years after.
“Another challenge is the issue of industrial court judgment that has not been implemented, as well as the request for the decentralisation of internship opportunities for those who have graduated from the nursing schools and are seeking internship.”
He noted that the issues have lingered for a long time, and unfortunately, nurses are not expected to participate in an industrial action that could affect seamless health service delivery due to the sensitive nature of the role they play in the health care facilities. “However, we are using wisdom and diplomacy to address the issues.”
National Secretary of the Association, Dr. Thomas Shettima, warned against the growing proliferation of nursing schools across the country, insisting that such actions, or increasing the production of nurses and other health personnel is not the solution to the “japa” challenge being experienced in the health sector, but will rather breed official quacks.
“By the time you have produced those that you cannot employ, and they have already acquired the knowledge, and are unable to go outside, they remain in the society. And if they are in the society and jobless, they have the knowledge and are approached for any treatment for their services, they will definitely go and render those services. And in rendering the services, some could go outside their ways, because they must survive.
“Therefore, if we want to curtail the “japa” syndrome, we must first ask ourselves, why are people going outside the country? If we get the answer, then we will be able to address it. Simply, people are moving outside Nigeria, in fact, all professionals are moving outside Nigeria, particularly the nurses, because the welfare, their condition of service and welfare is not good enough.
“For instance, there are some allowances of nurses and midwives that have not been reviewed for over 30 years now. And any call to review that is met with resistance. For a more durable solution, the government needs to sit with the relevant authorities, particularly in the case of the nurses and midwives, to discuss the way forward.
“Opening 1,000 schools of nursing in every state will never be a solution to ‘japa.’ People will still be going to look for a better condition of service. But, if we improve ourselves here, and then train qualified persons to handle our health care, I want to believe it’s the solution to ‘japa’ syndrome.”
Umar Suleiman Bako, Kogi State NANNM chairman, in his submissions, lamented the prolonged delay in the implementation of the approved scheme of service for the nurses, which was approved in 2016.
“This was one of the push factors for nurses and midwives who are apparently fed up with the poor remuneration, and are seeking better opportunities abroad. It’s important to note that it’s the nurses among other health care workers in this country that their scheme of service has not yet been gazetted.
“In Kogi State, the challenge has affected the remuneration and career development of nurses, who are serving in three different employment stages, notably, primary, secondary and tertiary. They are paid differently because there’s no approved payment scheme.”
He, thus, challenged the Association to work closely with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to step up and strengthen their monitoring system to ensure that quality and standards were maintained across all nursing and midwifery training institutions in Nigeria.
