Dr Titus Oyedele, director of clinical services and training at Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has voiced concern about the brain drain problem in Nigeria. He noted that the hospital had lost about 50 doctors and 90 nurses who had left for better opportunities abroad.
While giving journalists a tour of the facility last weekend, Oyedele made the revelation. He attributed the problem of brain drain, commonly referred to as “Japa,” to a lack of leadership and the presence of those in authority who do not have faith in the system.
He noted that the hospital has to pay so much to recruit competent and qualified employees, making it difficult to keep hold of the best hands in the institution.
He said, “At times, we have to source for highly skilled personnel even at a very high cost. For instance, you can have ten people in a system and many institutions struggling to get them. It has become the highest bidder, but the university has been trying its best to ensure that no matter what it costs, we have to ensure that the system is running.
“God has been helping us; we have been trying to attract the best hands in the country.”
When asked how the hospital functions with many patients, he responded, “We try to survive. It’s difficult, especially when you have personnel just getting used to the system and leaving the next minute.”
The director, however, remarked that the institution has no trouble replacing professionals who leave the system, adding that it does so swiftly and can even attract personnel from outside the country.
He claims, “As I speak, we need a radiologist, so the university just sent out a letter to somebody that will be coming from outside the country so that we can ensure quality services. It is challenging, but we have to survive.”
He emphasised the hospital’s track record of successful surgeries, stating that the positive feedback it has received so far should convince anyone considering a trip there for medical care that they will receive excellent care.
Prof. Ademola Tayo, the university’s vice-chancellor, has urged journalists to remain vigilant in their awareness of their responsibility to curb hate speech and incitement to violence, both of which tend to flare up during election seasons.
