The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, has disclosed that the Federal Government is renewing its focus towards discouraging the outflow of Nigerian health workers, especially physicians from the country.
Mamora made this disclosure during the Commissioning of the Akure annex of the Federal Medical Center and the Research Center, said the Federal government is working assiduously to discourage physicians from leaving the country.
The minister said the country is being faced with doctors leaving the country but said the Federal Government has plans to fund hospitals across the country and motivate doctors and other health workers to make such migration unattractive.
He said “This is an issue of concerns for all of us and we are already looking at the factors which we know largely in terms of what is responsible.
“One of it is the renumeration and I want to repeat it here that no amount paid to any health worker will compensate adequatly, looking at the health hazard they are exposed to. 
So we are working on how to raise it a bit for our health workers, and you will recall that just a few days ago we had engagement with all the leaders of the unions in the health sector, working together on how to increase and put in place some kind of hazard allowance that will show we appreciate what they are doing.
“And don’t forget the Medical Residency Program is free, you need to know how expensive it is abroad, but we are giving it free now for our Resident Doctors. We also have insurance scheme in place, that everyone in the pay roll of government is entitled to. We are doing everything possible just to raise the compensation.”
Mamora said apart from this, the Federal Government was also committed to building a healthy system that guarantees universal access to comprehensive, efficient, affordable, adequate, equitable, and quality healthcare for all Nigerians.
He said this will also help to discourage medical tourism, saying all efforts have been geared towards making health care available,  accessible and affordable for Nigerians.
He said “It is not in the size of the structure but its functionality, the functionality and capacity to deliver the services that people need is the most important thing and to see that the services that people required are being provided.
“The whole concept of universal health coverage is accessibility,  it must be accessible and it must also be affordable. It must be available, because it might be available and not be accessible, so the first thing is availability, next thing is accessible and must be affordable.
“This is the one of rhe reasons the Federal Government is working hard on the health insurance. This is one of the way of achieving health care financing and we are not just stopping at the level of the Federal Government.
“We are also encouraging the states, and I am aware that Ondo State has put in place State Health Insurance Scheme. This is the kind of collaboration that we expect and I am happy to know that Ondo State has put this in place. This will go a long way to make health care delivery available, accessible and affordable.
Speaking on the government efforts to create more awareness on COVID-19, he said.
“We had our own second wave, there’s no doubt on that, we are only praying against the third wave and that’s why we continue to increase the advocacy, reaching out to people, educate them, on what to do, particularly in respect to non-pharmaceutical intervention.
“The use of masks, hand sanitizer, washing of rhe hands, social distancing, limiting gathering and other things. These are the things we need to do, the non pharmaceutical interventions and then the vaccinations that is going on.”
He implored the health workers “not rest on your oars.I want to thank everyone of you for your cooperation, particularly the union, we need  a matured and responsible unionism to be able to achieve the set goals.
“For all health workers, we need to work together for health care delivery, its a team event, not a sole event and in a team event, everyone in the team is important. Let’s downplay undue rivalry because the person who suffers it at the end of the day are the patients.”
There is already a shortage of health workers in our country, and today we are still facing the phenomenon of many doctors leaving our country. Therefore, the government should provide doctors with more benefits and compensation. The improvement of the medical system is very important to our country. We hope to ensure that every Nigerian can get comprehensive, efficient, affordable, adequate, fair and high-quality medical care.

Talk is cheap. Everything is futuristic, nothing is present. Start doing these things before announcing to us. Naija govt always has plans to do something, they never actually do unless it will cage citizens and take the country backwards. Make una change.