“Japa” Syndrome Leaves Health Centres in Ruin

Nigeria’s healthcare foundation is showing deep, dangerous cracks as the “Japa” phenomenon continues to drain the country of its most vital medical assets.

New data reveals a staggering decline in the medical workforce, with the number of licensed doctors nationwide plummeting to just 40,000 a sharp drop from 55,000 only a year ago.

For a population exceeding 230 million, this exodus has created a vacuum where public health physicians, the specialized guardians of community health and disease surveillance, have dwindled to a mere 3,000 registered practitioners.

The result is a primary healthcare system in a state of near-collapse, where seeing a doctor at a local clinic has become an unattainable luxury for most Nigerians.

The shortage of these specialists is not just a professional deficit; it is a direct threat to national security. Public health physicians are the front line against the country’s most persistent killers, including Lassa fever, diphtheria, cholera, and meningitis.

Dr. Terfa Kene, President of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), warned that without these experts to manage epidemiology and outbreak responses, the country’s ability to contain rapid disease spread is severely compromised.

Currently, Nigeria possesses over 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), yet only about 20 percent are functional. The rest stand as hollow shells crumbling buildings with empty drug shelves, no electricity, and no trained personnel to man them.

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The disparity between international standards and the local reality is vast. While the World Health Organization recommends a functional PHC in every ward, the APHPN Secretary General, Dr. Austine Ajogwu, points out that the foundation of Nigeria’s health system is fundamentally faulty.

He noted that while the Federal Government disbursed over N98 billion in 2025 to strengthen the sector, the money has yet to translate into human presence. “A building alone does not make a good primary healthcare facility,” Ajogwu remarked, adding that many of the recently upgraded structures are merely “beautiful buildings” devoid of the equipment and medical officers needed to serve the 10,000 wards across the federation.

For rural Nigerians, the impact is devastating. Investigations across states like Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, and Ogun show patients navigating filthy conditions and seeking care in facilities that lack even basic running water. Experts like Professor Tanimola Akande, a former APHPN president, argue that the scarcity has reached a point where having a doctor at a rural health centre is viewed as an extraordinary miracle rather than a basic right.

As the “Japa” syndrome continues to pull specialists toward greener pastures abroad, health advocates insist that unless the government addresses the core issues of leadership, infrastructure, and staff retention, the nation’s health foundation will continue to crumble, leaving the most vulnerable with nowhere to turn.