The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, has announced a new policy prohibiting health workers from taking leave of absence.
He also informed the public of the ministry’s plan to recruit 120,000 additional nurses.
“The government has put a rule in place that says healthcare workers can’t take time off if they want to work abroad,” he said.
He added that if health workers wanted to go abroad for better opportunities, they would have to quit their jobs.
Alausa revealed this on Saturday during his visit to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Aro, Ogun State.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order addresses brain drain in the health sector, otherwise known as ‘Japa Syndrome’.
He also declared that the yearly number of nurse recruitment increased significantly from about 28,000 to 68,000 in 2023.
