The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has called on the government to improve welfare packages to tackle the increasing brain drain in the healthcare sector, commonly known as the “Japa Syndrome.”

Speaking at the 50th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, MHWUN President, Comrade Kabiru Sani Minjibir, outlined the major issues in the health sector, attributing the mass migration of healthcare professionals to poor welfare conditions, including unpaid salaries and outdated salary structures.

Minjibir urged the federal government to promptly release the overdue eight-month salary arrears for regulatory agency employees and to address the worsening infrastructure in health facilities across the country. He emphasized the importance of the government collaborating with labor organizations to find sustainable solutions to the economic challenges facing Nigerians.

The MHWUN leadership also appealed to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare to remove obstacles that hinder the resolution of healthcare workers’ demands, aiming to establish a more stable and effective healthcare system.

“We have many issues that will be discussed in the upcoming business sessions,” Minjibir stated. “A major concern is the migration of workers abroad, due to inadequate welfare and unpaid salary arrears.”

Minjibir further urged, “I appeal to the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare to act as a father figure to all Health Workers, facilitating the fulfillment of our demands for the benefit of the health sector. It is also crucial to address the issue of decaying infrastructure in our health facilities and to implement policies that will reverse these challenges and reduce the factors driving the brain drain in our sector.”