Tinubu signs new policy to stop health workers from japa but is it enough?

President Bola Tinubu just approved a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration and the Minister of Health Ali Pate announced it on Monday 12 August 2024. The minister said the policy is more than just a response to the japa crisis, it is a way to manage and bring back health workers who have left. But let me tell you something.

Dr Emeka Orji of NARD told BBC Pidgin back in 2022 that poor financial packages and lack of benefits like car loans and insurance are why doctors are leaving. He said the salary structure from 13 years ago is still in use and with inflation and naira devaluation, what a junior doctor earned years ago is now more than what a senior doctor earns today. The policy mentions reviewing working conditions for rural health workers, digital health infrastructure, and even a 1:1 match where other countries train one worker to replace every Nigerian worker they receive. But how many of these promises will actually materialize?

The ratio of doctors to patients in Nigeria is already below the WHO standard of 1:600 and the situation is worse because many doctors are unaccounted for. I just wonder if this policy will stop the japa or if it is just another government document gathering dust.