Angela Onwuzoo The Federal Government has promised to increase the enrollment quota in nursing institutions in the country from 68,000 to 100,000 yearly as part of efforts to curb the brain drain threatening the health sector. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, who disclosed this at the 1st matriculation ceremony of the National Diploma in Nursing by the College of Nursing Sciences, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, urged the health workers to be patient with the government. The 120 students drawn from the College of Nursing Sciences of the tertiary health institution are for the 2023/2024 academic session.
Alausa, while administering oaths to the matriculating nursing students, said the Federal Government was taking decisive decisions to address the issue of human resources challenges in the health sector. The Nigerian Medical Association in 2023 said the nation is heading for a catastrophic human resources crisis in the health sector if the current migration rate of medical and dental practitioners overseas is not reversed immediately. The NMA noted that the poor and unfavorable working conditions were major reasons why the practitioners were leaving the country.
The minister, however, noted that the welfare package for health workers is of utmost priority to the Federal Government, assuring them that they will get a good deal going forward. Alausa said, “ I am giving you very verifiable data. When we came in as a government,.