•Akwa Ibom moves to stop exodus of state’s medical trainees

Nigeria reported a yearly increase in enrollment into nursing programmes by 310 per cent, the Federal Government has announced. Specifically, it said nursing programmes witnessed a surge in yearly enrolment from 28,000 to 115,000.

A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, attributes the surge to the current administration’s commitment to transforming healthcare education.

The statement reads: “The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on revitalising the education and health sectors.

MEANWHILE, the Akwa Ibom State government said it has entered a bond with its medical trainees to protect its investment and prevent them from absconding. According to the Head of Service, Effiong Essien in Uyo, this is one of its strategies to stop the exodus of its trained medical professionals, saying it is now mandatory for them to serve the state before they leave the country for greener pastures.

Essien said the state government would recruit 600 medical personnel as well as 100 occupational safety officers into the newly created Department of Occupational Safety in the Office of the Head of Service.

“Every person that the government is sending out on training now is bonded to serve the government for a period that the government would have recovered the investment on their training.