Amina Mansur
In a bid to address the issue of brain drain in the health sector, the Federal Government has issued a directive mandating health practitioners intending to relocate abroad to resign from their positions rather than applying for leave of absence.
Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health, made this announcement during a press interaction in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday.
Alausa revealed that a Presidential Executive Order had been dispatched to the chief medical directors of government-owned health facilities, instructing them to ensure strict compliance with the new policy.
The minister clarified that the government is not imposing a ban on the relocation of health practitioners but emphasized that those planning to move abroad must formally resign from their positions in the country before departing.
“However, the government has not prohibited anyone who wants to move to the UK or Australia to take up appointments not to do so,” the minister said.
“It is a free world. But you cannot eat your cake and have it. If you are going, just resign your appointments with the federal government, rather than applying for a leave of absence.
“That is the Presidential Executive Order which has been communicated to all the Chief Medical Directors of Federal Government owned health facilities to implement.
“So, to resolve this problem, the President has directed that any health worker going abroad to work should just resign his or her appointment. This way, you won’t be blocking others who want to work.”
Alausa said that the government has “doubled our enrollment for Doctors, Dentistry and Pharmacists” to offset the brain drain effect of the relocation.