The Kwara State government has said that there's a shortage of medical doctors in its health facilities, describing the situation as "worrisome" amid the ongoing brain drain phenomenon, popularly referred to as ‘japa’.
Dr Abdulraheem AbdulMalik, Executive Secretary of the Hospital Management Board, disclosed this on Thursday during a ministerial press briefing organised by the Ministry of Communication.
AbdulMalik attributed the shortage to the high demand for medical personnel outside the state, adding that recruitment efforts have been hampered despite government approval.
"We have the approval of His Excellency, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to recruit doctors, but we cannot find enough to fill the positions. Doctors are hot cakes now. If a doctor resigns in the morning, they will secure another job by the afternoon," he said.
He revealed that the state currently has only 99 medical doctors, falling short of the estimated 180 to 200 required.
Of these, just 96 are on the government payroll. "The three doctors who had previously left the service returned after the governor recently increased salaries. We now have 99, but the gap remains significant," he added.
The Board's Secretary further insisted that the shortage is particularly severe in rural areas, and the board is exploring better remuneration and incentive schemes to attract and retain doctors.
In a bid to improve patient care, he added, the board is also developing a software application to provide information on doctor availability across the state’s 45 health facilities.
According to him, the system aims to reduce delays in seeing medical personnel and prevent situations where patients might deteriorate while waiting for attention.
On long-term solutions, AbdulMalik outlined a retention plan intended to close the gap in medical personnel over the next four years.
"We are proposing a scheme where the state sponsors medical students for one or two years. In return, they would work for the state for the same period before considering opportunities elsewhere.
"This will help ensure a steady supply of doctors," he said, adding that the initiative would begin at the clinical level for 400-level students.
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