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By Cosmas Omegoh, Lagos
The former president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, has told the Federal Government that if it insists on having medical doctors spend five years post-graduation in Nigeria before they receive their licences, then people in the corridors of power must forget overseas medical trips, agree to pay health worker salaries commensurate to what federal legislators receive among other things.
Okhuaihesuyi spoke on the sidelines of the recent uproar thrown up by the House of Representatives with a bill suggesting that doctors fresh from Nigerian universities need not be issued with licences until they have served for five years in the country. That way, the much-talked-about brain drain would be curtailed.
The bill which passed the second reading in the Green Chambers was sponsored by Abiodun Johnson a lawmaker representing Lagos State.
Reacting to the bill, Okhuaihesuyi said: “I am against the current state of the bill to stop Nigerian doctors from emigrating. Even if we have the best of conditions, some people for reasons best known to them would still leave and it will be unfair to hold back such people against their will.
“Therefore, my discussion will be directed at those, who hitherto would have stayed back but due to the prevailing circumstances, are being forced to leave.
“Let’s look at things dispassionately. It is the right of citizens to seek better living or working conditions. Presently, Nigerians haven’t even reached the point where they would be accused of looking for better conditions as they are just going about looking for just ordinary good conditions. In this wise, doctors and other health workers are justified to leave for any destination of their choice.
“On the other hand, the business of government can be summarised as the protection of lives and properties of citizens as well as the defence of the nation’s territory.
“Knowing the untoward effects of mass japa on the primary business of government, it is, therefore, logical for the government to make moves to stop this japa in the best interest of the totality of Nigerians. Governments all over the world achieve their goals with certain moves which vary from country to country based on the intelligence, foresight, planning, proactive nature and willingness of the leaders to serve their people.
“In our case, our leaders are rather reactive in their approach to solving problems.
“Ideally, the government should have employed workers-centred incentives to stop this mass japa but in their usual way, fiat is the only thing they see that is available to them. Too bad to say the least. Anyhow, you look at this though, they are doing well if you put the general interests of Nigerians into consideration.
“At least, they recognised a problem here and they are using a method they think is appropriate which doesn’t sit well with my Hippocratic colleagues and me.
“While I don’t have the powers to stop government fiat, I have a voice that can crystallise with other similar voices into a force that can push the various medical and other health workers associations to “fight” for the missing balance in this era of manpower dearth in the health sector and the government’s move to stop japa.
“This missing balance is not for the associations to “fight” to stop the bills against japa but for them to dissipate good energies through concerted efforts in ensuring improvement in the state of our health facilities, working conditions of the staffers, quality and quantity of services rendered to Nigerians as well as ensuring the safety of Nigerian health workers and patients.”
Dr Okhuaihesuyi reasoned that the bill should be expanded to the Nigerian health sector reform bill which in addition to the compulsory five years newly qualified doctors must serve before being allowed to leave the country, the following should feature.
“Medical and nursing students should be given reasonable stipends throughout their stay in school.
“On graduation, the doctors and nurses should be automatically employed.
“Reasonable incentives should be given to those who agree to go for residency and further training.
“All public office holders must use government-owned hospitals (not even private hospitals in Nigeria) for themselves and family members of theirs who depend on them financially. For any public office holder to seek treatment abroad, he/she must be referred by a doctor in a government hospital who is in good standing with MDCN and NMA. Thereafter, the government must ensure that similar conditions for which such referral was made can be treated in Nigeria through the urgent provision of infrastructure and the necessary manpower.
“Special needs hospitals in each of the six geopolitical zones e.g six orthopaedic and trauma centres with up-to-date capacities, and at least six renal transplant centres.
“Compulsory medical and mental health screening exercise for public office holders.
“Nigerian health workers’ salaries must have similar ratio relationships with salaries of health workers in the Western world as the ratio relationships of our NASS members’ salaries and allowances to their counterparts’ in the Western world. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”
