Japa Syndrome: No doctors to recruit again despite increasing salaries, Kwara govt laments

 

The health sector in Kwara State is grappling with an escalating crisis, as the exodus of medical professionals continues to deplete the workforce in public hospitals. The scarcity of qualified doctors has reached a critical level, with the state government openly expressing concerns over the retention and recruitment challenges posed by widespread emigration of medical personnel seeking better opportunities abroad.

At the recently concluded 2025 first-quarter inter-ministerial press briefing, Dr. Abdulraheem Abdulmalik, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Hospital Management Board, gave a sobering assessment of the current state of healthcare staffing. He admitted that despite receiving the go-ahead from Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to recruit new doctors, the board has struggled to find qualified applicants to fill the vacant roles.

According to Dr. Abdulmalik, the difficulty lies not in the lack of funding or political will, but in the sheer absence of available professionals. "We have the approval of His Excellency to recruit doctors, but we can’t just find the doctors to recruit," he said. "Doctors are hotcakes now. If a doctor resigns in the morning, he will get another job in the afternoon.”

The stark reality is that Kwara currently has only 99 doctors on the payroll across its state-owned hospitals. This number falls far short of the board’s staffing target of between 180 and 200 doctors — a gap that severely compromises the capacity of healthcare facilities to deliver adequate services.

A glimmer of hope appeared recently when three doctors who had earlier resigned returned to service, following a government-approved salary increment for medical staff. This move, Dr. Abdulmalik explained, has begun to yield some results in terms of retention. “We actually had 96, but after His Excellency increased the salary, three of them that ‘japa’ came back. We have 99 right now. We’re expecting more at the moment,” he added.

Despite this marginal improvement, the broader picture remains bleak. The shortage is particularly acute in rural communities, where medical infrastructure is already under strain. Health professionals are often reluctant to serve in remote areas due to a lack of amenities, poor working conditions, and limited professional growth opportunities. As a result, these communities bear the brunt of the crisis, with limited or no access to essential medical care.

Efforts are underway to address the imbalance. Dr. Abdulmalik revealed that the state government is actively working on a package of incentives and improved remuneration to attract and retain doctors, especially for underserved regions. However, the initiative is constrained by budget limitations and the broader national crisis affecting Nigeria’s healthcare sector.

The situation in Kwara is symptomatic of a larger issue engulfing the country. Nigeria has been experiencing a dramatic wave of medical emigration, commonly referred to as the "japa syndrome" — a term derived from Yoruba slang meaning “to flee.” This trend has seen thousands of doctors and other medical professionals leave Nigeria in pursuit of better pay, improved working conditions, and more secure futures in developed countries.

Recent figures from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) underscore the magnitude of the crisis. Over 8,560 Nigerian-trained doctors are currently registered with the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council (GMC), representing nearly 39 percent of all international medical registrations in the UK. Additionally, more than 2,400 Nigerian doctors have emigrated to the United States, Canada, and Australia within the same period.

This ongoing brain drain has left a gaping hole in the healthcare system, both in terms of personnel and the quality of patient care. Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed, and in many cases, patients are unable to access timely or specialized treatment due to a lack of qualified staff. The result is a healthcare system teetering on the brink, held together by a dwindling number of overworked professionals.

While the federal and state governments have acknowledged the problem, concrete solutions remain elusive. Salary increments and incentives, though welcome, have proven insufficient in countering the appeal of higher-paying, better-resourced health systems abroad. Many young doctors cite not only poor pay but also inadequate infrastructure, security concerns, and a lack of professional development opportunities as reasons for leaving the country.

In Kwara, as elsewhere in Nigeria, the path forward will require more than stopgap measures. It will demand a rethinking of healthcare funding, long-term strategic planning, and an overhaul of medical education and workforce policies. For now, however, the state continues its uphill battle, hoping to attract more doctors before the situation further deteriorates.

As Dr. Abdulmalik put it, “We need more hands. We’re doing what we can with the resources available, but this is a challenge that affects us all.”

Will these measures be enough to stem the tide of medical migration, or is the japa syndrome an irreversible trend? For Kwara and many other Nigerian states, the answer could define the future of public health.