Minister of state for Health, Tunji Alausa says Nigeria only has about 300,000 health professionals attending to the healthcare needs of over 200 million people.
He believes this is grossly inadequate and puts more pressure on the available workforce.
Mr. Alausa said this at the 11th induction and oath taking ceremony of foreign graduates of medical laboratory science.
A new set of 397 foreign graduates of medical laboratory science taking their oath to serve their country.
This is an impressive development for health experts who say this is a crucial step in the efforts of the government to ramp up the training and recruitment of competent, skilled and versatile manpower for the health sector as Nigeria still suffers a gross shortage of health professionals
To reduce this growing shortage, the medical laboratory science council of Nigeria wants the government to take urgent steps to open up the employment space to absorb young health professionals while slowing down the brain drain currently affecting the sector.
The federal government says it is also doing more to ensure the improvement and stabilization of the health sector which includes making room for professionals abroad willing to return to the country to seamlessly be reabsorbed.
