Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Professor Adetokunbo Fabamwo, on Thursday, raised the alarm over the rate at which nurses are resigning in droves and relocating abroad to practice their profession.
Fabamwo, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, expressed this concern while speaking at the opening ceremony of the 5th Anniversary and Scientific Conference of the Retired Nurse Administrators Healthcare Initiative held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Lagos.
He disclosed that he signs an average of four resignation letters of nurses daily, expressing the need to urgently address the trend.
He added: “Every day, I receive and sign between three to four resignation letters of Nurses. As we speak, the Nursing Workforce in our facility has reduce by 35 per cent.Though we have received approval of Mr Governor to employ their replacement but it is something that should be addressed,” Fabamwo said.
He said the management of LASUTH was in the process of firming up plans to engage some of the retired but not tired nurses on contract basis to ensure that patients do not suffer as a result of the mass exodus of nurses in the facility.
Fabamwo,who said the issue of brain drain in the health sector is essentially an economic decision on the part of the practitioners to seek greener pastures, advised that all hands must be on deck to make working here to be encouraging.
He urged the retired nurses to also see how they can contribute their quota to change the ugly narrative.
He also commended the nurses who are still in service, just as he lauded the various humanitarian initiatives of the retired nurse administrators.
