Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, has tasked government at all levels to enhance and prioritise the welfare of health practitioners in order to lessen brain drain and the talent scarcity in the field.

At the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors’ (NARD) 44th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, which was held at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta on Thursday, Obasanjo delivered the address.

During a speech at a conference with the theme “Evolving Roles Of Doctors In Healthcare Management and Nation Building,” the former president asserted that the current state of economic difficulties has led to medical professionals looking for better opportunities abroad.

Speaking through Musa Olomu, the hospital’s medical director, Obasanjo bemoaned the way the “Japa syndrome” is negatively impacting the health sector due to the exodus of several specialists from the nation.

“Resident doctors constitute the cornerstone of any medical services any country offers its citizens, and Nigeria is no exception,” the speaker declared.

Therefore, it is imperative that all tiers of government make sure that doctors receive decent welfare benefits, as they are the only professionals who can truly provide any kind of meaningful care.

I thus make the appeal that we take care of their welfare, having witnessed the volume of effort that resident physicians are providing in our hospitals. After this conference, I hope that the federal, state, and municipal governments will start working to improve the welfare of all healthcare workers, not only doctors.

The State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, thanked the doctors in his speech for their contributions to society despite challenging conditions, like as decaying infrastructure and a labour scarcity, among other issues.

He assured the doctors of a better future while pointing out that the current administration is making every effort.

“There would be a turnaround in the next decades,” stated Abiodun. I have witnessed the mobilisation of resources over the past year to enhance our infrastructure, guarantee that we have the necessary equipment, and also to invest in the training of healthcare personnel.

“Thus, it will take some time for these things to manifest, but I have no doubt that the landscape and narrative of Nigeria’s healthcare system will change dramatically.”

Nonetheless, the governor charged the medical professionals to safeguard the environment, emphasising that thirty percent of environmental problems worldwide are brought on by medical waste, as indicated by Commissioner for Health Dr. Tomi Coker.