VANGUARD
The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Uche Rowland Ojinmah said many qualified doctors are still not employed in Nigeria, in spite of the brain drain in the country’s health sector.
Ojinmah stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday,
The NMA President expressed worry over the exodus of Nigerian medical practitioners leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.
Recall that a bill was sponsored by a lawmaker from Lagos, Hon. Ganiyu Johnson, seeking for a mandatory five-year practice in Nigeria by Nigerian doctors before being given a full practicing licence.
The bill had passed the second reading in the House of Representatives.
However, Ojinmah, argued that notwithstanding the high number of medical practitioners leaving the country, there were still many doctors unemployed in the country.
He said, “Even based on the fact that doctors are leaving, some are still not employed and there is a story of one-for-one policy that they will start replacing those that leave immediately.
Meanwhile, the policy has been on the drawing board for months and nothing is happening.”
He urged the government not to cut the head off to cure a headache, stressing that jobs and good remuneration should be given to the many doctors still seeking employment in the country.
Ojinma while explaining why doctors are leaving the country in droves said the ratio in rural areas and conflict zones is far worse.
“When you talk of rural areas, you may be talking about one to 9,000. When you talk of these areas where there is banditry and terrorism, it may be one in 20,000 or more,” he said.
He, however, argued that the logic being presented [on the floor of the House] in support of the bill does not make sense, saying the policy being suggested by the National Assembly is discriminatory.
