The chief medical director of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Pokop Bupwatda, is decrying the “daily” resignation of health workers in the institution over worse conditions of service.

Mr Bupwatda, who spoke with journalists on Wednesday, said the spate in which health workers resign daily is alarming, creating a human resource gap in the health sector.

“Daily, we see our health workers resigning in their numbers, this is a major challenge, and this brain drain is really alarming. I get resignations on a daily basis, it is an emergency for us,” he said.

Mr Bupwatda called on the agencies of government and their parastatals that are responsible for the replacement of health workers to make the recruitment process easier.

He described the present recruitment process of health workers as cumbersome, as waivers must be obtained from the Head of Service.

“It is salient to replace the workers leaving to avoid a human resource gap and to ensure that the health workers replacing the workers who resign can understudy them before their exit,” he said.

Mr Bupwatda attributed the brain drain experienced in the health sector to health workers wanting better lives and working environments.

He further said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe and other parts of the world lost a lot of its health workers and these caused a human resource gap.

“Such countries are, therefore, looking for health workers to bridge the human resources gap by offering better pay and working environment,” he observed.

Mr Bupwatda appealed to the government to do more in pacifying health workers to stay back in terms of incentives and work environment.

He said that the “hospital is also faced with the challenge of funding and power in which they spend a lot of money in purchasing diesel and general running of the hospital.”

(NAN)