By Job Osazuwa, Lagos
The President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Dr Musa Muhammed Borodo, has urged the Federal Government to declare a national emergency on the brain-drain syndrome among doctors and other health workers, which is having a negative impact on health care delivery.
He stated in Lagos on Tuesday at a briefing to announce the college’s 39th convocation holding on September 16.
The president said that it was worrisome that after spending huge financial resources to train medical students and thereafter losing them to advanced countries.
He pleaded with the government to urgently reverse it through improving job opportunities, as well as improving the work environment of medical workers.
Dr Borodo also called on the trained doctors as well as those in training, but leaving the country, to show more patience and understanding about the situation of things in Nigeria hoping that things will improve.
According to him, the working conditions for doctors and other medical practitioners are not ideal.
“A very significant number of fellows from this college have migrated from Nigeria. Even those who are not fellows are also jetting out of the country. It is sad and must not be allowed to continue,” he said.
The president said that this year’s graduation brings to almost 7,000 the number of Fellows by examination that this college has graduated since its inception, thereby saving Nigeria billions of hard currencies were these highly specialised doctors to be trained abroad as was the practice before the inception of the college.
“I must therefore congratulate and commend all organs of college for their commitment to this national assignment.
“However, it is sad to note that the intended impact of this effort in our national health care delivery system is rapidly being lost to other, often more developed climes, due to the escalating monstrous phenomenon of brain-drain we are experiencing in our dear country,” he lamented.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for recently constituting a committee to carry out a holistic assessment of the issues bedevilling the health sector.
On the college’s academic activities, he said: “I am glad to report that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, college academic activities as approved by the Senate have continued as scheduled for which I am once more appreciative of the resiliency and resolve of faculties and colleges staff in ensuring that our primary responsibilities of training and examinations are being diligently executed.
“This convocation would see the award of one distinguished fellowship, two honorary fellowships, 309 fellowships by examination from 16 faculties, 15 foundation fellowships from the Faculty of Emergency Medicine and 88 postgraduate MDs by publication.”