Well being Minister’s lame excuse for medical doctors’ migration | The Guardian Nigeria Information

An obvious try by Minister of Well being, Dr. Osagie Ehanire to minimize the import and repercussions of the mass flight of Nigerian medical medical doctors to international nations is lower than pragmatic, and definitely inappropriate as a measure of addressing a really grave state of affairs. Whereas it’s true that migration of medical medical doctors, or certainly every other skilled, to international nations is just not peculiar to Nigeria, such different migration is just not happening as a mass, determined motion typified by the Nigerian case. That could be a signpost that every one is just not effectively within the nation. For a rustic with decrepit well being care system and big inhabitants missing ample medical care, the very last thing the nation wants is exodus of her medical doctors, nurses and different medical personnel to different nations. Sadly sufficient, the only a few wealthy Nigerians who journey overseas for medical care discover themselves being attended to by the identical Nigerian professionals, signifying that the issue is just not with the medical doctors however the very poor atmosphere and circumstances wherein they work right here within the nation. These are what needs to be of grave concern to the minister as it’s with well-meaning Nigerians who certainly are anxious not solely about medical doctors in flight, but additionally different professionals ‘trying out’, because it have been, from Nigeria.

On this smart, the comment on migration of medical medical doctors to international nations credited to Dr. Ehanire is just not what is predicted of the Minister. The comment exhibits that authorities is just not severely desirous about treatment the state of affairs and that is unlucky and disappointing. There may be must stem the tide of mass migration of medical personnel by making certain {that a} conducive atmosphere is put in place, of which Ehanire should play an important function by means of coverage thrust. Even when medical doctors in the UK and Europe are leaving for Canada, New Zealand and different nations, their causes for the migration usually are not the identical as Nigeria’s.

Nigeria’s terrible and determined situation is incomparable and needs to be positioned in its correct perspective. Other than the depressing low remuneration paid to medical personnel, different life-threatening challenges abound in Nigeria like basic insecurity, kidnapping and poorly outfitted medical amenities. Ehanire needs to be seen to make use of the paraphernalia of his workplace to give you proactive methods to deal with the mass exodus reasonably than settle for it as regular in a rustic that has acute scarcity of medical doctors.

In keeping with Ehanire, the Federal Authorities is barely involved in regards to the skilled medical personnel who left the nation, including that it was engaged on make them nonetheless provide digital service to the nation. Is that this what Nigeria wants at the moment? Nearly as an afterthought, he stated the federal authorities was working in direction of bettering the situation of service of Nigerian medical doctors to test the migration of medical personnel. “At a really senior stage of those that have had postgraduate coaching, we’re doing the whole lot we will to enhance the circumstances of service.”

“We’re additionally speaking about participating those that have spent a few years overseas; …who’re extremely specialised, and who know a variety of excessive tech medication, to interact them to work with us, even whether it is just about, to allow them to do digital consultations…They’ll come right here each three months or six for a number of weeks and do some work hands-on in order that we will achieve one thing from their expertise and information.” It’s uncertain if the nation can reap the advantages of excellent healthcare via the digital strategies recommended by the minister, And at what price to the Nigeria? What number of Nigerians can profit from such an association? In keeping with the minister, Nigeria produces about 3,000 medical doctors yearly whereas the quantity leaving is about 1000. Certainly this quantity is large sufficient to be of concern to the minister.

Accessible statistics exhibits that in 2019, there have been 24,600 medical doctors in Nigeria for a inhabitants of about 206 million folks. Male medical doctors accounted for 16,000, whereas feminine medical doctors have been about 8,600. Based mostly on this, the present doctor-patient ratio of 1:9,083 is scandalous, and a stark distinction with the WHO’s suggestion of 1 physician to 600 sufferers. With 218 million folks to cater for, Nigeria requires not less than 363,000 extra medical doctors to fulfill this goal. Once more, this could fear the minister.
The poor state of well being care in Nigeria has a direct hyperlink with the disturbing diploma of decay that has characterised the well being sector. The sector has dropped in high quality to what it was within the Sixties and Nineteen Seventies. The deterioration has been on account of neglect by successive administrations. The truth is, the nation’s well being sector is groaning and now hopelessly close to a complete collapse.

This dismal state of affairs is despite the billions of naira expended on some tertiary hospitals through the twilight of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration to equip some strategic departments in some tertiary and educating hospitals as ‘centres of medical excellence.’ Curiously, a number of the gear put in had been reportedly tampered with and cannibalised however nobody is being sanctioned. Furthermore, big quantities allotted to the well being sector by successive governments haven’t had the anticipated important influence on the sector. There may be must interrogate this anomaly.

Even the State Home Clinic established to maintain the President, Vice-President, their households in addition to members of employees of the Presidential Villa, Abuja joined the league of hospitals that can’t ship high quality healthcare companies. This reality has been made obvious by the best way the president, his household and officers of the villa have trooped to hospitals overseas on the slightest trace of ill-health. The components hampering entry to high quality well being care in Nigeria embody out of date gear and the mind drain that started since 1985; not discounting the not-so-conducive working atmosphere.

Once more, inadequacy of medical amenities, excessive price of medication, sub-standard medicine, mistaken analysis, poor perspective of well being employees occasioned by poor remuneration and ensuing within the neglect of sufferers by medical personnel, lengthy ready time for sufferers, and so on. are all chargeable for the unhealthy state of affairs in Nigeria.

On mind drain, media experiences have been constant that because the nation grapples with scarcity of medics, extra are fleeing the nation. Moreover, most of these extremely educated at public expense and gifted medical professionals, who’re out in international nations are excelling, the place the circumstances and environment are significantly better. Many respected medical doctors all around the world are Nigerians, displaying that the nation has the mind, expertise and the suitable coaching; however can not simply retain them at house. Nigerian medical doctors are competent to handle the healthcare supply system in Nigeria if the atmosphere can allow them.

Due to this fact, the persevering with exodus of medical doctors needs to be a priority to folks in authority. And that’s the reason obligation bearers ought to handle the rising deficit in medical personnel occasioned by migration. Particularly, there needs to be acutely aware coverage to draw well being applied sciences and specialists within the Diaspora again to Nigeria for a more practical and environment friendly well being service supply. Authorities should recognise that the nation is in bother if there are not any ample healthcare personnel for its teeming inhabitants.