President Bola Tinubu has approved a new national policy to address the increase in health workforce migration. Announced by the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Ali Pate, on Monday, the policy is a comprehensive strategy aimed at managing, harnessing, and reversing the migration of health workers.
The policy also seeks to attract the return of professionals to Nigeria through incentives and reintegration into the national health system. It leverages the expertise of the Nigerian diaspora to fill gaps in the health sector and promotes reciprocal agreements with other nations. These agreements aim to ensure that the exchange of health workers benefits Nigeria, with a call for recipient countries to implement a 1:1 training match for publicly trained Nigerian workers they receive.
Additionally, the policy emphasizes the importance of work-life balance, including routine health checks, mental well-being support, and reasonable working hours, particularly for younger doctors, to create a supportive work environment and enhance job satisfaction.
