The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa said the initiative aims to tackle the critical shortage of healthcare workers plaguing the nation’s medical system.

Alausa who announced the plan at a 1st matriculation ceremony of the National Diploma in Nursing by the College of Nursing Sciences, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, NOHIL, said the government intends to raise the annual nursing student enrollment from 68,000 to over 100,000 annually.

The 120 matriculating students of the College of Nursing Sciences of the health institution are for the 2023/2024 academic session.

Continuing he said: ‘I am giving you very verifiable data. When we came in as a government, we were enrolling just about 28,000 nursing students across all our nursing training institutions in the country.

“Today, we are enrolling 68,000 nursing students annually in all our nursing training institutions in the country, and before the end of the year; we will be enrolling over 100,000 students.”

He said: This expansion strategy involves y.establishing new nursing schools and increasing capacity at existing ones.

The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria is collaborating with the government to achieve this goal.

Alausa emphasized the government’s commitment to leveraging Nigeria’s large population to produce more healthcare professionals.

He highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s support for the initiative and mentioned similar efforts to expand enrollment in medical schools, pharmacy schools, and other health-related fields.

The Minister acknowledged the importance of improving healthcare worker welfare to retain staff and combat the emigration of medical professionals, sometimes referred to as “Japa syndrome.”

He urged patience from health workers while the government implements its plans.

The initiative has been met with positive responses.

Speaking, Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dr. Mustapha Alimi, commended the Minister’s role in establishing a College of Nursing Sciences at the institution.

He emphasized the program’s potential to address the nursing shortage and empower young Nigerians.

Also speaking, the Director of Nursing Services for Lagos State, Mrs. Dorcas Olukemi Shonibare, applauded the government’s efforts.

She highlighted the critical need for more nurses, given the vast gap between Nigeria’s current nurse-to-patient ratio and the World Health Organization’s recommendations.

Shonibare expressed concern about brain drain among nurses but voiced optimism that the increased enrollment, coupled with efforts to retain qualified personnel, will significantly improve healthcare delivery in Nigeria.