The Coordinating Minister of Well being and Human Companies, Prof. Alli Pate, mentioned on Wednesday that the Federal Authorities has recruited 2,497 medical doctors, midwives, nurses and Group Well being Extension Staff over the previous six months to bridge the healthcare workforce scarcity.
Prof Pate made this recognized on Wednesday in the course of the third version of the collection of ministerial press conferences initiated by the Ministry of Info in Abuja.
The briefing collection was designed to offer a platform for presidency officers to showcase their achievements and educate Nigerians on the challenges of governance.
Nigeria, with a low doctor inhabitants, is experiencing a large exodus of physicians. The PUNCH reported that by the tip of 2023, 1,417 native medical doctors had moved to the UK and the US of America.
The Medical and Dental Consultants Affiliation of Nigeria additionally said that 9 out of 10 medical and dental consultants left the nation.
Poor pay, growing insecurity, insufficient diagnostic amenities, unfavorable working and financial circumstances are a few of the causes for the mass exodus.
Pate, nonetheless, mentioned President Bola Tinubu has made outstanding progress in bettering the accessibility, affordability and high quality of healthcare.
He famous that the federal government has prioritized the revitalization of main well being care amenities, guaranteeing that they’re adequately geared up and staffed to offer important providers to communities.
“By way of sustained investments and strategic partnerships, we’ve expanded entry to important well being care providers, particularly in rural and underserved areas, bettering well being outcomes and decreasing the burden of preventable ailments.
“Because of our efforts, we’ve seen a rise within the variety of ladies attending antenatal care. Greater than 550,000 ladies now attend their first prenatal care and are armed with the best info and care to enhance their being pregnant outcomes and cut back maternal and toddler mortality.
“The efficiency we’ve achieved signifies progress and enhancements. To maintain and construct on this progress, the Authorities of Nigeria has recruited 2,497 medical doctors, midwives/nurses and CHEWs over the previous six months to bridge the gaps brought on by attrition. One other 1,400 healthcare establishments now have educated beginning attendants to help with deliveries within the healthcare establishments. In consequence, the variety of deliveries in healthcare establishments has elevated to as many as 230,000 deliveries per thirty days.”
The Minister additionally introduced that the FG will launch N50 billion as the primary tranche of the Primary Healthcare Fund, a major enhance from the N25 billion allotted in 2022.
“This money injection will revitalize our main well being care amenities and make sure that high quality care is accessible to all residents,” he mentioned.
