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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has warned of imminent manpower crisis in the sector if the spate of migration of medical and dental practitioners overseas is not curbed.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the annual general conference of the association held in Jalingo, Taraba State, released, yesterday, in Abuja.
The communique jointly signed by President and Secretary of the association, Dr. Uche Ojinmah and Dr. Jide Onyekwelu, respectively, rejected the recently proposed bill by the House of Representative member, Ganiyu Johnson, seeking a five-year mandatory service for Nigerian trained doctors before granting their full licenses to practice.
The union described the bill as unfair, irritable and highly provocative to the tenets of international human rights law, the Nigerian Constitution and civil liberty, saying it amounted to modern day slavery.
Meanwhile, the NMA has condemned the report from its Anambra State Branch indicating that a non-medical doctor was appointed as Executive Secretary of Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA).
It maintained that the appointment contravened the ASPHCDA Law, and thus directed its state branch to use all legitimate means at their disposal to reverse the appointment.
“This action by the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, smacks of impunity and it’s important for him to have a rethink,” the association said.
In addition to that, the Association said it was deeply concerned with the conviction of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu, and a medical doctor, Dr. Obinna Obeta, in the United Kingdom for trafficking a 21-year old poor and vulnerable Nigerian for organ harvesting.
The Association said experts and facilities that could have handled such organ transplantation are available in Nigeria, lamenting why government officials usually show preference for medical treatment abroad.
It, thus admonished Nigerians, including medical and dental practitioners to be conversant with both national and international guidelines for organ donations, harvesting and transplantation including assisted reproduction technology, to avoid acting in ignorance.
“It is important to also know that details of these guidelines vary from one country to another. It is important that the Federal Government protect poor and vulnerable Nigerians from exploitation for organ donation.”
