Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has granted his approval for the automatic replacement of medical doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who have left state health facilities to seek better opportunities abroad.
Dr. AbdulRaheem Malik, the Executive Secretary of the State Hospital Management Board, announced this during the 38th edition of the Media Parliament organized by the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
The governor’s decision aims to address the potential gap left by the departure of medical personnel, ensuring that adequate staffing is maintained in public hospitals.
The state government is actively recruiting medical staff to fill these vacancies on an ongoing basis.
“The Governor has approved for us to replace one-on-one. So, if a doctor resigns or leaves today, we have the automatic approval of the Governor to replace that person.
“There is a one-on-one replacement already in place. And we are currently recruiting doctors, nurses and pharmacists.
“So, the periodic recruitment is already ongoing. It is not even periodic. It is like when somebody leaves, you replace, so we can close the gap as often as possible,” Malik said.
The exodus of medical professionals from the country is attributed to economic factors and higher wages abroad, prompting the state government to implement measures such as CONMESS to discourage such movement and ensure quality healthcare within the state.
The State Chairman of the NUJ, Abdullateef Ahmed, emphasized the importance of maintaining a robust healthcare system and urged the state government to rapidly increase recruitment to address the shortage of medical personnel and provide proper care to residents.