By Akinnodi Francis, Ondo
The Chief Medical Director of University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital,(UNIMEDTH), Ondo,Professor Michael Olumide Gbala have described the current developmental drives witnessed in the institution especially in the movement of health professionals as reverse Japa.
The CMD noted that “Japa” became a familiar term for the migration of Nigerian professionals abroad in search of better opportunities.
“In the health sector, however, there is also “Local Japa”;the movement of health workers from one institution or state to another in search of better working conditions.”
Gbala recalled that in the post-COVID period, UNIMEDTH experienced significant losses of health professionals through both external and local migration. “At one point, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reportedly lost nine doctors within a single week to neighbouring teaching hospitals but today, that trend is being reversed.”
According to the him, UNIMEDTH is now attracting consultants and experienced health professionals from neighbouring states, including Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo and Osun, as well as other parts of the country. Even more encouraging is the return of some professionals who had previously left Nigeria—a development he aptly describes as “Japada.”
He attributed this positive development to the deliberate interventions of the administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to improve workers’ welfare and strengthen the State’s health institutions.
“Over the past two and a half years, the state government has consistently reviewed the hospital’s salary subvention, with major increases recorded in April 2024, October 2024, January 2025 and May 2026. In 2026, salaries have been significantly reviewed upward alongside the immediate implementation and commencement of payment of 2026 staff promotions.
“Ondo State has also emerged as the first state in the South-West to implement the revised CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures, placing the State among the early adopters nationally.
“Another major intervention in 2026 is the approval of the implementation and payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to both regular and supernumerary resident doctors at UNIMEDTH by Governor Aiyedatiwa.The initiative has strengthened residency training, improved staff morale and contributed to making the hospital increasingly attractive to doctors seeking quality postgraduate medical training.
“The emerging story at UNIMEDTH is therefore more than a story about recruitment. It demonstrates that deliberate investment in the welfare of health workers, institutional development and professional growth can help reverse the tide of health-worker migration.
“From losing doctors and other health workers to neighbouring institutions to attracting experienced professionals back to the state, UNIMEDTH is increasingly becoming a destination rather than a departure point.
“This is the story of reverse Japa and another giant stride in Governor Aiyedatiwa’s commitment to transforming healthcare in Ondo State”, the CMD said.