Kayode Shopekan
By Kayode Shopekan
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Deputy General Secretary of National Medical Association, Dr Saliu Oseni has said that the remuneration of health workers in Nigeria is outrageously poor and can not be compared with international best practices.
The former Chairman of NMA Lagos Branch who is a Consultant General Surgeon at the Ikorodu General Hospital made the statement while speaking with Prime Business Africa.
Dr. Oseni laughed off the idea of trying to tie down medical doctors through bond as the Minister of Labor, Chris Ngige was suggesting.
The Surgeon said: “the reality is that whatever government thinks it is doing to train medical doctors is not different from what it is doing to train other professionals, so it will be an abuse of the right of the doctor to insist that he must be tied down and not allowed to go for what will give him a pay package.”
“Government needs to do more because comparing our remuneration to international best practice and today it is a fact that health workers are generally under paid.”
According to Oseni, health workers should not just be given money, rather they should be given an improved welfare package, which is what he considers the solution and he went ahead to explain his view.
“Many years ago when you graduate as a doctor there is already a job attached to the job, you have a car loan, accommodation, allowances for further training.”
“With these benefits attached to the job there is more commitment from the doctors. But today, there is no such benefit available, to make things worse the working environment is not conducive, equipment is lacking and the pay package is unattractive.”
“Medical doctors are already in short supply within the country as we have a ratio of one doctor to 5000 patients, he therefore enjoined the government to assist hospitals render their best service to patients instead of prosecuting doctors, Dr Oseni, said”
He also urged the government to be up and doing in it’s responsibilities, saying it is the failure of the government that health workers are migrating because they have failed to provide facilities with adequate equipment for practice.
As at September 21, 2021, there are 8, 737 Nigerian trained doctors practicing in the UK, it could not be ascertained as at the time if filing this report the number of Nigerian doctors practicing in Saudi Arabia but one thing which could be ascertained is the fact that Nigeria is running short of medical doctors.
