As Over 10,000 Doctors Leaves Nigeria, NMA Seeks State Of Emergency In Health Sector

By Ayodele Oni

Apparently worried by continued deterioration of the health sector in the country, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has called on the Federal and State Governments to declare a State of Emergency on the nation’s Health Care Sector in order to protect welfare of the citizenry.

The Association described as alarming the high brain drain hitting the sector in the last seven years when 10,296 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria, left the country to currently practice in the United Kingdom.

The National President of the Association, DR. Uche Ojinmah, who spoke through the Ondo State Chairman of NMA, Dr Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, made this declaration at a press briefing in Akure on Tuesday, to mark the 2022 Physicians’ Week.

According to the NMA President, “let me inform you all that the Nigerian doctors are poorly paid, over worked, lack necessary work tools and have become target for kidnap.

“We as Nigerian doctors have been taken from the lofty heights of nobility to nothingness by the neglect and possible disdain for the health sector by successive governments.

“The penchant of State governments for seizing or slashing our salaries and paying it piecemeal at their convenience without interest has become a subject of folklore and hence cannot be allowed to continue. On the need to review CONMESS, let me inform you that the ball is now in court of the Government and they are foot-dragging.

“Let no one take our civility for weakness as we shall do all within limits of legality to protect the interest of the Nigerian doctor while the Government continues in their “search” for obvious reasons behind medical brain drain.

“It is a heartbreaking situation for Nigerian doctors because review of CONMESS has been due since 2014 based on the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement we signed with the Government which stipulated a review after five years.

“We hereby call on all well-meaning citizens and statesmen to intervene now and not blame doctors later.

The theme of this year’s Physicians’ Week (Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery System and The 2023 Democratic Transition: A Time To Change The Narrative) is in tandem with the most important upcoming event in Nigeria.

“The sub-themes, Mitigating The Impact Of Brain Drain On The Dwindling Human Resource For Health In Nigeria and Health Sector Reforms In The Face Of Emerging Public Health Threats, were chosen as continued reminder to our Governments that things are falling apart in the health sector.

“The era of blind loyalty is over. Let us all patiently wait to hear the plans of the presidential candidates for Nigeria especially in the Health sector before pitching our political support tent. On the sub-themes; the issue of progressive depletion of human resource for health cannot be over emphasized.

“With the recent article from online Punch Newspaper of 9th October 2022 titled “200 Nigerian Doctors Move to UK in One Month”, the fact that checks on the website of the General Medical Council (GMC), the body which licenses and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the UK, showed that the GMC licensed at least 200 Nigerian-trained doctors between August 31, 2022, and September 30, 2022 was revealed.

“The statistics also showed that between January 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022, about 1,307 doctors trained in Nigeria were licensed in the UK as Nigeria continues to battle one of the worst situations of brain drain in its history. ‘Overall, 10,296 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria currently practize in the UK.

“Dispersion of the emigration data for Nigeria trained doctors to UK is as follows: 233 in 2015, 279 in 2016, 475 in 2017, 852 in 2018, 1,347 in 2019, 833 in 2020 inspite of COVID Pandemic and 932 in 2021 during recovery from COVID.

“Currently, Nigeria has the third highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK after India and Pakistan.

“Meanwhile, while we are losing our human resource for health in geometric progression, Lassa Viral Hemorrhagic fever, Malaria, COVID, Ebola, Marburg, etc are still very much available in the face of worsening incidences of Systemic Hypertension with or without complications, Diabetes mellitus with or without complications, osteoarthritis, etc.

“We call on our Governments to quickly declare emergency action in Nigeria’s health sector for the sake of her citizens.

“Despite the national drawbacks, the Nigerian doctor has a lot to celebrate this week just for being alive. Let me also inform you all that we had a very successful outing in Berlin at the General Assembly of the World Medical Association (WMA).

“I’m glad to inform you that our past president Dr. Osahon Enabulele has taken over as the president of the World Medical Association. We have confidence in his ability to lead WMA well and hence project Nigeria positively to the world.”