Advocate.ng Latest news update on politics, entertainment, sport and more
The Federal Government has increased the enrolment quota for medical, nursing, and other health schools from 28,000 to 64,000.
This increase, announced by Prof. Ali Pate, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, aims to produce more healthcare workers and mitigate the issue of health workers moving abroad due to inadequate infrastructure, insecurity, poor working conditions, and low salaries.
The decision comes as part of the government’s efforts to enhance the healthcare system in the country. Between 2019 and 2023, more than 1,000 medical consultants and 900 resident doctors left Nigeria for Europe.
To counter this trend, the government plans to increase the number of medical and dental doctors from 5,000 to 10,000, starting from the next academic year with the increase in admissions into medical and dental institutions.
Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health, highlighted the need to make the healthcare environment more attractive to discourage the mass exodus of licensed doctors and other health professionals.
He also mentioned that the shortage of health manpower globally is estimated at 18 million personnel, and Nigeria produces just 3,000 doctors annually, which is grossly inadequate.
The government is also addressing the issue of healthcare infrastructure by disbursing N25 billion from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to 23 states through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
The remaining states are in the process of meeting the requirements to receive their allocations.
Furthermore, the government has recruited more than 2,400 health workers to serve in rural areas and has ensured that 1,400 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) now have skilled birth attendants.
The increase in enrolment quotas will require the education sector and state governments to enhance infrastructure, training, and tools to support this growth.
The Federal Government’s decision to increase the enrolment quotas for medical and nursing schools is a step towards producing more healthcare workers and improving the healthcare system in Nigeria.
The government is also taking measures to make the healthcare environment more attractive and address the global shortage of health manpower.
Subscribe to the Advocate News letter and receive news updates daily in your inbox.
