The Speaker of the House of Representative Femi Gbajabiamila, has been petitioned by the Associations of Nigerian medical doctors in Diaspora.
The petition followed the bill proposed by Ganiyu Johnson (APC: Lagos) seeking to restrict newly qualified medical doctors and others from leaving Nigeria.
The correspondence, under the aegis of Diaspora Medical Associations (DMA), jointly signed by President, Nigerian Doctors’ Forum, South Africa (NDF-SA), Dr. Emeka Ugwu, President, Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu and President, Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG), Dr. Chris Agbo, vehemently rejected the Bill.
Others who also signed the petition alongside them include President, Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists (CANPAD), Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka and President, Nigerian Medical Association-Germany (NMA-Germany), Dr. Al-Amin Dahiru.
Nigerian medics abroad who rejected bill that seeks to restrict fresh doctors, others from emigrating noted that the bill purportedly seeks a way to address the adverse effects of brain drain, might not be the most effective intervention to resolve the situation, and as such it could be counter-productive.
As reported by the Guardian Newspaper, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan; Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe and Chairman, House Committee on Health, Dr. Tanko Sununu, were also copied in the letter.
Dated April 11, 2023, the associations in the letter said they recognise the problems posed by exodus of Nigerian medical professionals, including, but not limited, to decreased access to healthcare services, lack of quality care, care delivery, inability to adequately enact healthcare and public health policy due to lack of manpower and leadership resource,”
They wrote that a medical or dental practitioner is the glue that keeps the team functional and leading force for an effective healthcare delivery system.
The doctors went on to say that the medical and dental professional bears the burden for systemic failures, resulting in maladaptive structure fostering stress, undue burden, physical and mental anguish, lack of job satisfaction and poor working conditions.
In their opinions, they said that the major cause of brain drain include a poor care delivery framework arising from failure to invest in healthcare to foster a conducive environment.
They also said the system does not promote professionalism, growth, work satisfaction or high reliability culture.
Other major drivers, according to them, include poor welfare packages, high level of insecurity, limited employment opportunities, sub specialty training, socio-political and economic instabilities.
The inform source reported that the doctors who said majority of the issues stem from outside healthcare system and are outside of an individual’s control, observed that good governance and commitment to future investment in healthcare would improve conditions in Nigeria.
Truth Live News gathered that the unfortunate reality is that the healthcare system is in a state of serious neglect, training and career development opportunities are limited, thus impairing earning potential.
Still quoting the doctors, they said emigration of professionals is not limited to medical and dental practitioners alone and wondered why is the medical and dental profession being targeted.
“Young professionals leave the country in search of better opportunities. Many are frustrated by consequences of governance failures that have progressively worsened over the past 30 years.” They said.
The petitioners said that Insecurity is rampant. Equity and justice are lacking for the average Nigerian, adding that focusing on one aspect of a problem without taking a holistic approach for a sustainable solution will be ineffective.
However, as captured in the Abuja Declaration, the groups also call for improved and good education for children as well as improved security and compensation, saying they had invested in coming up with effective solutions and remained open to similar endeavours.