Victor EzejaFormer Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, has berated the Nigerian government for proposing laws to restrain medical personnel from going abroad in search of greener pastures.
Sani said the government should instead, focus on improving the working condition of medical practitioners by generally reforming the health sector and making the environment conducive to discourage them from moving out of the country.
Last week, the House of Representatives began the amendment of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act to stop the migration of Nigerian-trained medical practitioners.
The amendment Bill sponsored by Ganiyu Johnson (APC, Lagos), is proposing that Nigerian-trained medical doctors must serve in the country for five years before they are given a full practising licence.
During a debate on the general principle of the Bill, Mr Johnson argued that it was only fair for medical practitioners, who enjoyed taxpayer subsidies on their training, to “give back to the society.”
The intention behind the Bill as analysts have said is to curb the mass migration of medical personnel to broad (as the number keeps increasing every year), knowing that without a license they can’t practice abroad.
While some lawmakers supported it, others opposed it during the debate. Those who opposed it said it infringed on the rights of doctors to move freely.
Nigerian doctors under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) have also opposed the bill. The group in a statement jointly signed by the President of MDCAN, Dr Victor Makanjuola, and General Secretary, Dr Yemi Raji, said the Bill is not only discriminatory and harsh but also against the interest of the people.
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Reacting to the proposed legislation, Sani in a tweet queried why the government is focusing on only stopping the migration of health workers.
“Doctors and Nurses are leaving for greener pastures in the West and the Middle East. Do we need a law to stop them or we need to improve on their working conditions in order to keep them? And why is the law to restrain medics from leaving not applicable to others?” Sani queried in his tweet.
Some Nigerians who reacted to Sani’s tweep said the government should address the problem of brain drain in the health sector by making laws mandating political leaders to use health facilities in the country and not go abroad, adding that by so doing, it would compel them to improve the healthcare facilities which will in turn health the ordinary Nigerians.
Idorenyin Etuk @IdorenyinEtuk5 wrote: “Perhaps if politicians are compelled to use our public health services and forbidden from seeking health services overseas, the conducive environment health workers seek will materialize. Also, Nigerians will benefit from improved healthcare.”
“The law should start from having elected and appointed officials of Government to receive treatments in Nigeria. They should also have their children schooling in Government institutions in the country before they talk about barring medics from migrating,” another tweep from Mbilitem Samuel @leumas4samuel read.
The health sector for some years now has suffered a continuous decline in manpower as a result of the massive migration of medical personnel including doctors, nurses, and other health officers, to different countries, especially America and Europe.
In March, the World Health Organisation (WHO) listed Nigeria among 55 countries currently suffering a shortage of medical personnel and warned that it may affect their ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
The UK Immigration Report revealed that the number of Nigerian healthcare professionals granted working visas in the UK in 2021 was 13,609. Also, between December 2021 and May 2022, a total of 727 Nigerian-trained medical doctors relocated to the UK.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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