The Kwara State Government has expressed concern over the worsening shortage of medical doctors in the state’s health facilities, blaming it on the ongoing “Japa” brain drain syndrome.

During the 2025 first-quarter inter-ministerial press briefing in Ilorin, Dr Abdulraheem Abdulmalik, Executive Secretary of the State Hospital Management Board, said despite receiving approval from Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to recruit doctors, the board has been unable to find suitable candidates.

“We have the governor’s approval to hire doctors, but we simply can’t find any. Doctors are in such high demand now that if one resigns in the morning, they get another job by afternoon,” Dr Abdulmalik said.

He noted that the state currently has only 99 medical doctors, far short of the required 180 to 200, though this marks a slight increase from 96 previously on the payroll.

To mitigate patient delays, the board is developing a software application that will provide real-time information about the availability of doctors across its 45 health facilities. The initiative aims to prevent situations where patients collapse while waiting for medical attention.

Dr Abdulmalik acknowledged that rural areas are worst affected by the shortage. He said the board is working on offering incentives and better remuneration to attract and retain doctors, with a long-term retention plan set for launch within four years.

Despite the challenges, the state has recorded significant service delivery. Between January and April 2025, the 45 health facilities treated 43,065 patients, including 12,000 pregnant women, of whom 2,000 were newly registered.

In the same period, the hospitals conducted 1,000 surgeries and recorded 1,384 childbirths, including 131 caesarean sections.