Dr. Kayode Adesola, the National President of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners, highlighted that private hospitals in Nigeria are significantly impacted by the phenomenon of brain drain, referred to as the “Japa syndrome,” more than government-owned public hospitals.

This issue has created major challenges for accessing quality healthcare in the country, especially during economic hardships.

Adesola explained that private hospitals face a higher rate of brain drain compared to public hospitals because the private sector accounts for approximately 70% of healthcare provision in Nigeria.

Speaking on Channels TV’s program, The Morning Brief, Adesola expressed concern over the growing population in Nigeria juxtaposed with the decreasing number of healthcare professionals due to emigration for better opportunities abroad.

The constant poaching of doctors by the government when they seek opportunities overseas has exacerbated the situation, making it difficult for private hospitals to retain skilled medical personnel.

This trend poses a serious threat to the healthcare system in Nigeria and underscores the urgent need for measures to address and mitigate the impact of brain drain on the country’s healthcare sector.

Adesola highlighted, “There is one major thing that we are missing out there; in the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria, the private sector provides about 70 per cent.

“ The way we are looking at things, it is not just government hospitals that are affected, private hospitals are more seriously affected by the Japa syndrome than public hospitals.

“The drift has always been that people come into private hospitals and from there, move into government hospitals. I want to tell you that anytime there is a shortage of doctors at public hospitals, the government comes to poach our staff (doctors).

“Currently, Nigeria has a doctor-to-population ratio of one doctor to 8,000 population, instead of one doctor to 600 people as recommended by the World Health Organisation.”

Highlighting the grave implications of the Japa syndrome on the health system itself, apart from its impact on patients, Adesola added that about 70 per cent of the health delivery system is continuously eroded due to the massive brain drain in the sector.

“ So if anybody anywhere and people are talking about Japa syndrome, they should come and visit and see what we are going through. It is a very serious matter now.

“A lot of practitioners are either shutting down or trying to only attend to patients within a specific time. We have seen doctors suffering from burnout and sudden death among private practitioners across the country and we cannot do without this group.

“We have the widest spread. The Japa syndrome is taking its toll on the private sector of the health system in Nigeria and we are feeling it. It is time the government paid attention to the Japa syndrome. We don’t have the personnel”, he lamented.

Professor Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, expressed concern on Tuesday that developing countries like Nigeria are facing a brain drain in the healthcare sector, as highly trained health professionals are leaving to work in developed countries that did not invest in their initial training.

He noted that Nigeria is facing a significant shortage of healthcare workers, with only 55,000 licensed doctors remaining to cater to the growing population, following the emigration of many health professionals to foreign hospitals and healthcare facilities.

In the past five years alone, Nigeria has lost between 15,000 to 16,000 doctors to this trend, while an additional 17,000 have had their registration transferred, exacerbating the crisis in the country’s healthcare system.