'Japa' syndrome: We are being overstretched - Doctors lament

• Published date: 19 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

The Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) says the nation is losing its medical personnel to better-organised global settings, leaving the remaining healthcare workers in government-owned hospitals to be overstretched.

The National President of PAN, Dr Olufemi Ogunrinde, said this at the opening ceremony of the association's four-day annual general meeting and scientific conference on Thursday in Akure.

The theme of the conference is 'Optimising Child Healthcare In Nigeria Despite Current Socio-Economic Challenges'.

According to Ogunrinde, available data shows that the country has less than one doctor to 3,000 patients, while there are 1.5 nurses to 1,000 patients.

He said the maternal mortality ratio is 814 per 100,000 'and is closely linked to adverse neonatal outcome with pervasive poverty and the stranglehold of communicable diseases.

'We are almost at halfway point, at least in terms of time, to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

'Despite our abundant quality human and natural resources, we have, as a nation, continue to make slow progress in actualising the Sustainable Development Goals, especially as pertain to our children and the youths.

'This has affected us so much that our country has continued to fare poorly in virtually all indices of health.

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'Yes, we have made some gains in the health sector over the past few years, but we have had the unfortunate tittle of 'the poverty capital of the world' bestowed on us.

'Our under-five mortality rate continues to be in the three-digit range at...