HOSPITAL SHUT DOWN 5 WARDS

JAPA: REPRESENTATIVES EXPRESS CONCERN AS LUTH CLOSES FIVE WARDS DUE TO A DOCTOR SHORTAGE.

By, Adedayo Fowowe

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Health expressed concern about the country's health-care workforce.

According to the committee, five wards totaling 150 beds have been closed due to the relocation of doctors and nurses from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to various parts of the world. LUTH is Nigeria's leading health education institution.

Dr. Amos Magaji, chairman of the committee, described the situation as concerning, stating that the legislative arm is working to curb the rising number of Nigerians traveling abroad for medical treatment.

He stated that the movement of Nigerian health workers overseas has had a significant impact on the country's health system, stating that "the japa syndrome will be curtailed by building state-of-the-art infrastructure and making the sector attractive and rewarding to workers irrespective of their fields."
During an oversight visit to LUTH, Idi-Araba, the chairman of the health committee, stated that "Nigeria as a nation has found itself in a precarious moment, particularly in the healthcare system where japa has taken center stage." We used to have japa only for nurses and doctors, but it has already spread to many departments throughout the health care system.

We discovered severe issues here. 

Currently, five wards totaling approximately 150 beds at LUTH have been closed due to a lack of nurses and doctors to staff those wards.

And these are the results of our 'japa' syndrome.

"As a committee, we will collaborate with the Federal Government and the teaching hospital to find a way out of this country's national embarrassments."

"It is not something that can be fixed in a single day, but we will approach it piecemeal.

" We are going to do what we can immediately and what we can accomplish in the long run.

With God's mercy, we are thus examining potential solutions to some of the "japa's" problems, beginning with university enrollment, moving on to house officer employment, and concluding with the residency program.

"They have given up so much so that Nigerians might live healthy lives and have access to quality medical care. Our hands are all on deck, which is why, if you were here earlier, you noticed that some of the important issues and discussions we had were related to providing Nigerians with accessible and reasonably priced health care.

Meanwhile, LUTH's Chief Medical Director, Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, informed lawmakers that the university teaching hospital's cancer center has treated over 9,600 patients since it was inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.