From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Chairman, Kaduna State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Madaki Sheyin, has said that Nigerian doctors are poorly paid and overworked, rendering them too miserable and economically uncomfortable to remain on the job.
Addressing a press conference as part of activities to mark this year’s ‘Physicians’ Week’, Dr Sheyin added that a Nigerian doctor also lacks the necessary work tools and has become a target for kidnapping.
This was even as he raised a deep concern over the brain drain tsunami that had hit its members in the last seven years, amidst deadly diseases in the country that required more medical doctors.
‘Let me inform you all that the Nigerian doctor is poorly paid, overworked, lack necessary work tools and has become a 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 Kaduna Doctor is even worse hit by these poor welfare conditions, doctors in the state’s employ as of today receive only 60% of the CONMESS salary scale, a far cry from what those in the Federal
and other states are receiving.
‘We call on our governments to quickly declare emergency action in Nigeria’s health sector for the sake of her citizens,” he said.
The medical association noted with regret that over 10,000 doctors had relocated to the United Kingdom for greener pastures during the period under review.
Dr Sheyin also noted that Nigerian doctors have been rendered unimportant by successive governments for inadequate attention to the health sector.
The NMA state chairman said the one-week medical activities the theme, “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 while 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 a continued reminder to our governments that things are falling apart in the health sector”.
On the sub-themes, he said, “the issue of progressive depletion of human resources for health cannot be over-emphasized. With the recent article from an online newspaper of 9th October 2022 titled “200 Nigerian Doctors Move to the 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 practise in the UK”. Dispersion of the emigration data for Nigeria-trained doctors to the UK is as follows: 233 in 2015, 279 in 2016, 475 in 2017, 852 in 2018, 1,347 in 2019, 833 in 2020 in spite of the 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.”
“While we are losing our human resource for health in geometric progression, Lassa Viral Hemorrhagic fever, Malaria, COVID-19, 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.
He said insecurity was one of the factors for the mass exodus of Nigerian doctors to the UK. “This alongside insecurity is largely responsible for the high turnover of doctors in the state and mass exodus causing both internal and external brain drain”.
He appealed to the Kaduna State government, saying, “We hereby call on the state government to immediately implement the report of the Committee on Review of Medical Doctors and other health workers salaries in Kaduna State and also domesticate the newly approved hazard allowance for doctors.
Dr Sheyin advised members of NMA about the 2023 general elections, saying, “The era of blind loyalty is over. Let us all patiently wait to hear the plans of the presidential candidates for Nigeria and gubernatorial candidates in Kaduna State especially, in the health sector before pitching our political support tent.
“Our beloved country is passing through difficult times but I know that if we persevere and continue being the best that we can be, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Nigeria is at a turning point and we all are to stand as compatriots to obey the call of Nigeria. We must never let the labours of our heroes’ past be in vain.
“All citizens must respond to the call of Nigeria for good leadership and should never for pecuniary benefits sell
or support candidates that cannot move our nation forward. May God grant us the courage to be who we ought to be by standing for equity and progress. May our loyalty be to only Nigeria and may our loyalty not be tested by any past or present commitment.
The NMA chairman also spoke on floods that ravaged some parts of the country in recent times, saying: “This is one flood too many in our recent history as a nation, we say no more floods while we watch.
“We have from our meagre resources sent some relief materials to worse hit states, we are reaching out to affected communities to roll out medical outreach programs and send solidarity messages to the state Governors and some dignitaries in the affected states.
“I am hereby using this auspicious occasion to send a message of love and sympathy from NMA to all fellow citizens affected by the flood disaster ravaging the nation.
“We pray for a quick resolution and recovery. We call on our Governments at different levels to work together in helping victims recover quickly. We call on Federal Government to actively initiate measures to avert another flooding”.
Dr Sheyin added, “Let me commend the Kaduna State government for significant infrastructural development projects, especially in the area of primary healthcare but I must state that she needs to do more in the area of human resources for health to reverse the worrying trend of brain drain especially
among younger generation doctors.”