NEWS of the brain drain of doctors is a phenomenon that has dogged this country for many decades and so, it is not entirely new.

NEWS of the brain drain of doctors is a phenomenon that has dogged this country for many decades and so, it is not entirely new.

Thus, it is rather shocking that this problem, highlighted this week by the Africa Health Placement, a medical recruitment agency, has developed into a crisis that now threatens to cripple our health system.

The agency has called on the government to employ more health professionals to save the country's ailing health system.

This option should go a long way to plugging the gap and remains the most practical to immediately mitigate the effect of the exodus of local doctors to foreign countries, but only in the short term.

Sorely needed is a long-term plan that will not only project the country's healthcare manpower needs but also outline measurable steps to alleviate the shortages.