Follow Us on Google
Recently, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) raised the alarm that Nigeria might soon import medical doctors to treat local patients in future. The Oyo State NMA Chairman, Dr. Ayotunde Fasunla, stated this at a recent scientific conference in Ibadan. The NMA’s concern is engendered by the acute brain drain that has engulfed the medical profession. It warned that unless urgent steps were taken to stem the tide, there might be a collapse of the health care system in the country.
The NMA’s alarm is not misplaced. At the Ibadan conference, the Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Taiwo Ladipo, said his state recruited about 530 medical and health personnel within the last one year. Regrettably, he added, 20 of them, including 12 consultants, had left the services of the state government. Over 4,000 Nigerian doctors practise in the United States (US). Many others work in Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Some others are waiting for any opportunity to leave the country.
The doctor practising abroad cannot be blamed because in those countries medical personnel are well remunerated and appreciated. Little wonder, a US-based Nigerian physician, Dr. Philip Ozuah, recently donated $1million for the hostel project of his alma mater, the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. Poor condition of service is partly responsible for the massive migration of doctors to foreign countries. Unemployment and underemployment rates among doctors are high. Most of them no longer find fulfillment in their work in Nigeria. After spending years in school, many of them end up in private hospitals where they receive peanuts as salaries and allowances. With bad economy and weak naira, their take-home pay is hardly enough for decent living. The worst is that they frequently go on strike to demand for better welfare.
In 2020, resident doctors, under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), went on strike three times. In August last year, they also went on a similar strike. Their major grouses, among others, were absence of life insurance and death-in-service benefit for their families; ridiculous hazard allowances; non-payment of arrears owed them in federal and state tertiary health institutions and shortage of manpower in hospitals.
Nothing much has changed despite government’s promise to look into their demands. Last month, NARD again threatened to commence strike if the government failed to meet its demands. The body said both the federal and state governments had defaulted on past agreements they reached with it. We sympathise with the doctors. Some of them find it difficult to send their children to good private schools. With their meager pay, some cannot afford a decent accommodation and a good car. This is despite the fact that the profession is a noble one. One major consequence of this is that there is dearth of consultants and specialists in the sector. Patients who have the means travel outside the country to treat minor illnesses. Even our political office holders are not left out. It has been estimated that medical tourism costs Nigeria an average of $1 billion every year. Besides, the doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria is about 1:5,000 instead of the 1:600 recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The situation could get worse than this if the government fails to arrest the situation. Even, attracting or hiring foreign doctors as the NMA alerted may not be feasible. If we cannot treat our local doctors well, there is no guarantee that foreign doctors will fare better here. Do we even have the facilities and conditions of service that will lure foreign doctors to our shores? Will it be cheaper and better to bring in foreign doctors than to enhance the condition of service of our own doctors? We believe it is better to generally overhaul our health care system with a view to retaining our best brains. One better way to do it is to beef up the budgetary allocation to the health sector. Currently, the average allocation to the sector in our annual budget is less than five per cent. This is far less than the 15 per cent, which African countries agreed upon in Abuja in 2001.
Another way is to improve the condition of service of doctors. Paucity of funds should not be an excuse because if the available resources are well managed, the country will still have enough to meet other obligations. In all, right leadership is key to tackling some of these challenges. The Federal Government needs to re-examine its strategies and priorities. Our health sector needs special attention. Every effort must be made to retain our best brains, not only doctors but other professionals as well. Where this is not done, they will leave if they see any slight opportunity abroad.
