President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Uche Rowland, recently called on the Nigerian government to declare a state of emergency in the country’s health sector.
Rowland, who made the call during a press conference in Abuja to mark the 2022 physicians’ week, said Nigerian doctors are poorly paid, overworked, and lack necessary work tools.
According to him, statistics has revealed that between January and September 2022, about 1,307 Nigerian-trained doctors were licenced in the United Kingdom (UK).
The issues
Despite Nigeria’s strategic position in Africa, the country is greatly disreputable in the health care sphere. A 2018 report by medical journal, The Lancet, ranked Nigeria among the countries with the worst health care in the world.
Health facilities (health centres, personnel, and medical equipment) are inadequate in this country, especially in rural areas.
This has led to the high brain drain caused by the emigration of doctors which can only be described as alarming.
The statistics show that in the last seven years, 10,296 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria left the country to practice in the United Kingdom.
Between the six months of December 2021 and May this year alone, 727 medical doctors that trained in Nigeria have relocated to the UK.
Data from the UK’s Register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) shows that the number of Nigerian-trained nurses rose by 68.4 percent, from 2,790 in March 2017 to 7,256 in March 2022.
NMA also revealed that checks on the website of the General Medical Council (GMC), the body which licences and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the UK, showed that the GMC licenced at least 200 Nigerian-trained doctors between August 31, 2022, and September 30, 2022.
The problems that have caused this sudden ‘japa’ syndrome for health care practitioners are not new issues; they have just been neglected by the appropriate authorities.
The NMA listed some of the issues as poor remuneration of doctors, lack of necessary work tools in hospitals, insecurity, and neglect of the health sector as a whole.
The association also complained of state governments’ slashing of doctors’ salaries.
Loss for the country
The emigration of health care workers will result in the loss of manpower in the health sector. It also means a loss of revenue invested by the government in training these professionals.
Doctors’ demands
The medical association demands that the government should review the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and the associated allowances in the federal public service.
The NMA said the ball is now in the government’s court to review the CONMESS but they are dragging their feet.
Nigerian doctors also demand that other socio-economic aspects, like insecurity, poor remuneration and welfare, among others, be adequately addressed.
The doctors called on all well-meaning citizens and statesmen to intervene now and not blame doctors later.
Government action, citizen focus
In light of all these concerns, the government at all levels should prioritise health care by creating a conducive environment for health professionals to thrive.
To achieve success in health care in this modern era, the federal and state governments should introduce a system well-grounded in routine surveillance and medical intelligence.
There is also a need for adequate management in health centres, embedded with strong leadership principles.
Also, as the elections are forthcoming, Nigerian citizens should avoid distractions and focus on asking the candidates at all levels their plans for the health care sector.
Photo source: NIAID
