Peter Dada The Vice Chancellor of the Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State, Prof Kayode Ijadunola, has charged both the federal and state governments to create an enabling environment for doctors and other health workers to discourage them from leaving the country. Ijadunola, who noted that many doctors and other health professionals had left the shore of the country for greener pastures abroad, said no legislation would bar them from traveling abroad for greener pastures. He stated this at the induction of the 23 newly graduated professional nurses into the Nurses and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, held on the campus of the institution on Wednesday.
According to him, Nigeria is producing a significant number of health workers today, including doctors and nurses but the challenge of retaining those trained after their graduation is a big issue. He, however, urged the governments to encourage those who are still at home with good remuneration and excellent conditions of service. He said, “Globally, there is a shortage of health manpower, whether they are doctors, nurses or any other profession in health-related areas, which was made worse during the COVID-19 pandemic where a significant number of health workers retired, they just left the profession and walked away, due to the mental fatigue they burn out and all the things that accompanied the COVID-19 era.
“A number of them left, and people are looking for doctors and nurses all over the world, so whatever we produ.