The mass exodus of medical practitioners in the country, popularly called Japa, has left Benue State with less than 600 doctors, translating to one doctor attending to 10,000 patients.
This was revealed by the Benue State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Ushakuma Anenga, in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise.
The actual number of doctors in the state, he affirmed, is between 550 to 600, adding that they are so burdened attending to a population of 5.7 million residents.
According to the National Population Commission and National Bureau of Statistics Estimates, in 2016, Benue State was projected to have a population of 5.7 million.
However, an international country statistics website, City Population, projected a population of 6,141,300 in 2022, which implies that the doctor-to-patient ratio was 1:10,000.
PUNCH Healthwise reported that at the end of 2023, 1,417 resident doctors moved to the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria also stated that nine out of every 10 medical and dental consultants were leaving the country.
Aside from the doctors, other health practitioners such as nurses, physiotherapists and medical laboratory scientists, among others, are leaving in droves.
Poor remuneration, unconducive work conditions and economic conditions are some of the reasons for the mass exodus.
Anenga said, “On average, we have between 550 to 600 doctors cutting across those in the higher institutions, tertiary institutions, private practice, non-governmental organisations and others. If you look at the population of Benue State with the doctor rate, we likely have a ratio of one doctor to 10,000 patients. We don’t have up to 1,000 doctors in the state.”
Speaking on the impact of the low ratio on the health sector, the NMA chairman lamented that the few doctors in the state are overworked, yet earn pay that is not commensurate with their work.
He asserted that the stifling economic situation in the country, aside from the poor remuneration, further fuelled the mass exodus of doctors.
Anenga added, “The wear and tear is real. Although we have not had cases of doctors fainting while at work, they are overworked and keep breaking down and suffering from burnout. You see people are denied the opportunity to go on leave because if they do, the unit may shut down or be left with fewer hands.”
The Benue State NMA chair revealed that in specialist clinics, such as paediatric surgery and haematology, they are forced to improvise with visiting consultants to cover up for the doctors who have left.
“So you can see one consultant working in several places just to make up for those that have left,” he added.
Anenga said the entire state is badly hit by the japa syndrome, stating that some local governments only have one doctor attending to the needs of patients.
“Doctors working with the Hospital Management Board and the ones that work in the general hospitals are the worst affected. During the last administration, they were owed over seven to 10 months’ salaries and half of them have left in the last few years. So, a lot of our general hospitals have just one doctor.
“So in the whole of a local government, you could see only one doctor in the general hospital. This has given rise to the proliferation of quacks such that the majority of health practitioners in villages, who have small clinics, are not certified and well-trained doctors. These ‘doctors’ conduct surgeries, misdiagnosing and further wreaking havoc,” the doctor lamented.
The doctor also said most younger doctors are on their way out and it bothers around remuneration because it is difficult not to go to where you can be paid 10 times the amount you currently earn.
“Those working now are gathering funds to write qualifying exams and japa. The situation is not looking good,” he added.
Anenga called for increased funding for the health sector, a good welfare package and allowances for doctors.
He decried the low level of the few infrastructure and consumables available for doctors to work with.
The Benue State NMA chairman further mentioned that upper respiratory tract infection, malaria, Lassa Fever, meningitis, hypertension and diabetes are the most common disease burdens in the state.
“The health sector does not exist on its own so other factors like insecurity, job security for doctors’ spouses, and loans to doctors are some things that can help keep doctors. If you give a doctor a house and car loan to be repaid over 15 years, such a doctor is tied down to their source of income and that way, you get to keep such a person.
“If you employ a doctor’s spouse, that doctor is more likely to stay than when the spouse is unemployed. Sadly, the government is not taking steps, rather; they are trying to increase the quota for medical schools in the country. But that is like a white-washed tomb because when the quota is increased and the lecturers are few, who will train them? You end up having poorly trained medical doctors and that would not solve the problem.”
