Govt raises alarm, says Doctors not available for recruitment
Govt raises alarm, says Doctors not available for recruitment
The Kwara State Government has raised concerns over the shortage of medical doctors across its health facilities, attributing the crisis to the ongoing ‘Japa’ syndrome.
The issue was highlighted during the 2025 first-quarter inter-ministerial press briefing hosted by the Ministry of Communication in Ilorin.
Dr. Abdulraheem Abdulmalik, Executive Secretary of the State Hospital Management Board, explained that despite Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s approval for the recruitment of medical personnel, the board has struggled to find qualified doctors willing to take up the positions.
He said: “We have approval of His Excellency to recruit doctors but we can’t just find the doctors to recruit. Doctors are hot cakes now. If a doctor resigns in the morning, he will get another job in the afternoon.
“The three medical doctors that left the service returned after the recent increase in doctors’ salary by the Governor. We actually had 96, but after His Excellency increased the salary, three of them that ‘japa’ came back. So, we have 99 right now. We’re expecting more at the moment because we need about 180 to 200 medical doctors.”
In response to the shortage of medical personnel, the Kwara State Hospital Management Board has announced plans to launch a digital application that will allow patients to check the availability of doctors across its 45 health facilities in real time. The aim is to reduce long waiting times and prevent critical delays in medical attention.
Dr. Abdulraheem Abdulmalik, Executive Secretary of the board, said the app would help prevent incidents where patients, particularly in emergency situations, collapse while waiting to be attended to.
He noted that the doctor shortage is most severe in rural areas and that the board is working within its financial limits to introduce improved remuneration and incentives to attract and retain medical professionals.
“Our goal is to offer compensation packages comparable to what doctors receive in Western countries, which is where many of them are migrating to in search of better opportunities,” he said.
Dr. Abdulmalik also revealed that the state government has developed a long-term retention strategy aimed at bridging the gap in doctor availability, with implementation set to begin in four years.
“On recruitment, we have presented a prerequisite to the Governor on actually harvesting doctors from medical schools. So, the state government sponsors you as a student for maybe a year or two and you pay back by working for the state for those two years in which the state has invested in you.
“That means we will continue to have a cycle of students. So, the state government sponsors you for two or three years and you work for the state government for those number of years before you ‘Japa’. That would mean there is a closing of the gap for medical doctors. This would kick off in about three to four years because we are starting from their Clinical Level, which is 400 Level.
When asked about the training of nurses and concerns that they might eventually leave the country in search of better opportunities, Dr. Abdulraheem Abdulmalik acknowledged the possibility, stating, “Many of them may still ‘japa’.” However, he clarified that the state is less concerned about losing nurses compared to doctors, noting that social and professional conditions in Nigeria make nurses more likely to remain in the country.
“Most of the nurses are women and their movements depend on where their husbands are stationed. Some do “Japa”, but we are not as desperate for nurses”.
