NATIONAL POLICY ON HEALTH FORCE MIGRATION

A Policy manages the migration of health workers by regulating their movement and improving working conditions. It targets doctors, nurses, and health institutions to retain skilled professionals and sustain the healthcare system. This seeks to balance worker rights with national needs.

What Is This Policy?

The National Policy on Health Workforce Migration is a government framework designed to manage, regulate, and mitigate the mass exodus of Nigerian health workers (“Japa”) to foreign countries, while balancing the rights of workers to seek opportunities abroad with the need to sustain Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Who Does It Target?

The policy is directed at health professionals in Nigeria (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health workers) who are increasingly migrating abroad for better opportunities. It also targets health institutions, regulatory councils, and government agencies responsible for workforce planning.

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Its central aim is to retain skilled health professionals within the country by creating better working conditions, offering incentives, and ensuring career development opportunities. At the same time, it acknowledges the right of workers to seek opportunities abroad, so it seeks to balance individual freedom with national healthcare needs.

Key Features

Establishment of a national framework for monitoring health worker migration. Retention strategies (better pay, working conditions, career development). Ethical recruitment guidelines aligned with WHO standards. Data systems to track workforce movement. International cooperation with countries recruiting Nigerian health workers. Policy goals and vision: sustainable health workforce, reduced brain drain, improved healthcare delivery.

Current Status

Rollout Stage: early implementation phase Coverage: applies nationwide Beneficiaries to Date: designed to benefit health workers (through retention incentives) and citizens (through improved workforce availability). Funding: Federal Government budget allocations via the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

How to Access

Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare: https://health.gov.ng National Assembly Portal: https://nass.gov.ng Nigeria Legal Information Institute (NigerLII): http://www.nigerlii.org Channels TV Coverage (Full Document): Available online as a 56-page PDF.

Important Terms

Term 1-Health Workforce Migration (“Japa”) Refers to the large-scale movement of Nigerian health professionals abroad, driven by better pay, working conditions, and career opportunities. Term 2- WHO Global Code of Practice An international framework guiding ethical recruitment of health workers, ensuring that source countries like Nigeria are not left critically short of staff.

Official Resources

Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Website: https://health.gov.ng 📍 Address: Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja 📞 Phone: +234 (0) 9 234 0770 ✉️ Email: [email protected] National Assembly of Nigeria Website: https://nass.gov.ng Link to document- https://publichealth-edu.org/assets/files/NATIONAL-POLICY-ON-HWF-MIGRATION_FINALCOPY_PDF.pdf

Legal Framework

The National Policy on Health Workforce Migration operates under the National Health Act 2014, the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, the Nursing and Midwifery (Registration, etc.) Act, and the Health Records Officers (Registration, etc.) Act. It aligns with WHO Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel (2010), the Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements negotiated with destination countries, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.c) on health workforce development.