Cancer Society decries japa syndrome, says one doctor attends to over 1,800 patients

• FG pledges improved policies in health sector to end syndrome

The Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS) has said the high rate of migration, popularly called ‘japa’ syndrome, is impacting the number of oncologists attending to cancer patients in the country.

President of NCS, Prof Abidemi Omonisi, disclosed this, yesterday while briefing newsmen during the society’s commemoration of World Cancer Day.

Consequently, the Federal Government said the ‘japa’ syndrome threatening the health sector would soon be history, as the President Bola Tinubu administration is more committed to reversing the syndrome with its reforms and policies developed in the health sector.

Oncologists are doctors specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

Omonisi said poor remuneration, poor infrastructure, insecurity, low standard of living and inadequate funding for the healthcare system, among others, led to the migration of radiation and clinical oncologists, pathologists, oncology nurses and other categories of health workers.

Quoting the Association of Radiation and Clinical Oncologists of Nigeria (ARCON), a corporate member of NCS, Omonisi said the ideal ratio of a radiation and clinical oncologist to a cancer patient is 1:250–500 but put the ratio of radiation and clinical oncologists to cancer patients in Nigeria at 1:1,800 presently.

He said, “This accounted for the increasing long queues observed in all our oncology clinics in the country. I wish to specially appeal to President Tinubu to address the push and pull factors responsible for the exodus of skilled health workers from the country.”

According to him, NCS has observed the increasing incidence of some neglected cancers in Nigeria such as colorectal cancer, childhood, ovarian and haematological cancers.

The NCS president also enjoined the National Assembly to appropriate N25 billion for the transition of the National Cancer Health to a Catastrophic Health Insurance Fund, and to appropriate additional funds to close the N97.2 billion funding gap in the National Oncology Initiative.

He disclosed that NCS officially launched its youth arm known as Youth Coalition Against Cancer (YOCAC).

Programme Manager, Girl Effect Nigeria, Chinelo Okonkwo, described cervical cancer as one of the major cancers that must be tackled in the country.

MINISTER of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, during a working tour of facilities at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), expressed satisfaction with the management and staff of the tertiary health institution.

He said no health worker in a public hospital across the country was expected to leave the country following the laudable policies put in place by the Tinubu administration.

Within the economic reality in Nigeria, health workers are still the best paid in the country, he asserted.

While urging health professionals to show more commitment and passion for their jobs, he said remuneration issues might not be the solution to the problem of the doctors, adding that increased salaries for health workers would not sufficiently address the challenge in the sector.

He noted: “If you increase doctors’ salaries, be sure that teachers would come forward to demand salary increment.”

Salako stressed the need for more commitment on the part of health workers to their country, saying, “East or West, home is the best. Wherever you go, if you are not in your country, you are a second-class citizen.”

Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UBTH, Prof Darlington Obaseki, described the hospital as one of the most affordable in the country and called on the government to address the critical shortage of skilled health professionals in the sector.

“We have over 500 patients, as I speak. We have only 750 nurses. The question now is, how can these 750 nurses running three shifts cover the clinics and theatre look after 500 patients? This is one major challenge we face.

“Our services are the most affordable in this environment. That is why patients prefer to come down here. We also have about 250 consultants with less than 300 resident doctors and 750 nurses,” Obaseki said.