… Says Ondo first S’West state to implement revised CONMESS, CONHESS

… Hails Aiyedatiwa’s intervention

The Chief Medical Director of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo State (UNIMEDTH), Prof. Michael Gbala, has disclosed that the health institution is currently witnessing what he described as an unprecedented turnaround in the movement of health professionals back to the facility.

Gbala stressed that the “reverse japa” being experienced by the institution has led to the growing attraction of skilled medical personnel.

According to the CMD in a statement by the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Adeboyeku Tunde,
there was enormous losses during the post-COVID period, with the situation reaching a critical point when the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology purportedy lost nine doctors within a single week to neighbouring teaching hospitals in Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo and Osun states.

Gbala attributed the positive reversal to the interventions by the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, which he emphasized focused on improving workers’ welfare and strengthening the state’s health institutions.

He explained that the government has consistently reviewed the hospital’s salary subvention over the past two and a half years, with major increases recorded in April 2024, October 2024, January 2025, and May 2026, alongside the swift implementation and commencement of payment of staff promotions for the current year.

The Chief Medical Director further stated that the state has emerged as the first state in the Southwest geopolitical zone to implement the revised CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures, placing the state among the early adopters in the country.

Gbala also pointed to the recent approval by Aiyedatiwa of the implementation and payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to both regular and supernumerary resident doctors at UNIMEDTH as another intervention that has strengthened residency training and improved staff morale.

He said, “Over the past two years, these measures have collectively contributed to making the hospital increasingly attractive to doctors seeking quality postgraduate medical training, with the institution now drawing professionals from neighboring states and even welcoming back some who had previously relocated abroad.

“UNIMEDTH is now attracting consultants and experienced health professionals from neighboring states, including Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo, and Osun, as well as other parts of the country. Even more encouraging is the return of some professionals who had previously left Nigeria, a development we have described as ‘Japada.'”

The CMD noted that the emerging story at UNIMEDTH is more than that of recruitment, stating that it demonstrates that deliberate investment in the welfare of health workers, institutional development, and professional growth can help reverse the tide of health worker migration.

“From losing doctors and other health workers to neighboring institutions to attracting experienced professionals back to Ondo State, UNIMEDTH is increasingly becoming a destination rather than a departure point.”

Gbala expressed optimism that continued government support would further consolidate the gains and position the teaching hospital as an optimal center for medical training and service delivery within the Southwest.