…As over 2,000 leave for Canada, Europe, Saudi in 6 months
The Federal government has appealed to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to advise young doctors against relocating out of the country considering the important role they play in the society.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Yemi-Esan, made the appeal on Monday when the leadership of the association paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Yemi-Esan said young doctors need to be reminded that it is not a bed of roses out there, adding that the government has done a lot for them in their education.
She added that the rate at which resident doctors travel abroad to practice without serving the country is a cause for concern, stating that the NMA is a good platform to counsel them.
While responding to their demands for increased hazard allowances, Yemi-Esan enjoined them to be reasonable, enquiring if the resident doctors in public corporations are also doing hazardous work.
She specifically said the government has done a lot for them, cautioning that they should be considerate in their demands, bearing in mind the dwindling government revenue in the past few years.
Earlier, the NMA president, Dr Uche Rowland Ojinmah, commended the Head of Civil Service of the Federation for her reformative contributions in positively repositioning the Federal Civil Service for greater performance and national economic growth.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) disclosed on Tuesday that said over 2,000 Nigerian doctors left for Europe, Saudi Arabia and Canada as of June this year.
The president of the association, Dr Noel Dokun, said this in Abuja during the National Executive Council meeting of the association.
He said the doctors left for countries where their services are better appreciated and remunerated, especially Britain.
“But in Nigeria, they are poorly remunerated and at times not paid for months in some states, with salaries up to 25 months unpaid in some instances,” he said.
He advised the Federal government to adopt homegrown solutions to brain drain, monkeypox and other epidemics, as well as other challenges of the health sector.