2024 budget will achieve 61 per cent increase in health sector to reduce ‘Japa’ – FCTA

The Federal Capital Territory Administration says the improved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2024 Budget will bring about a 61 per cent increase in the Nation’s capital’s health sector and reduce brain drain, also known as Japa syndrome.

The mandate secretary of the Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this to journalists at a scientific conference by the Association of Resident Doctors FCTA on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to her, the N27.5 trillion budget christened ‘renewed hope’ will bring about drastic infrastructural development in the FCT health sector and improved well-being for doctors and all health workers.

“The budget is an increase over the last budget. We believe this will translate to a 61 per cent increase in our health indices, better equipment in our hospital, and we will be able to employ more doctors in FCTA.

“For every doctor who leaves the system, we replace the person. As people leave, we also have people looking for Jobs. Most people leave not because of poor salaries or poor working conditions but because they don’t have the right equipment to work at times. We hope the Japa syndrome will reduce with the improved budget, the right equipment, and expansion of our hospitals and better roll-call”.

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Earlier, the Senator representing FCT, Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP), begged doctors in Abuja not to relocate abroad.

Represented by Juliet Essien, a clinician, Ireti said the FCT will continue to receive improved budgetary allocation for its health sector.

“Let’s stay in Nigeria; we can fix the country”, he said.

Also, the President of ARD, FCTA, Dr Rahman Olayinka, urged the government to declare an emergency in the country’s health sector.

Newspot reports President Tinubu presented the 2024 budget to the National Assembly last Wednesday.

A budget breakdown showed that the country’s health sector got N1.33 trillion, representing 5 per cent of the total budget.

The development comes as The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, also presented an N61.6 billion Budget to the lawmakers.