The Federal Government has laid out a well-structured roadmap to augment the abundance of medical and dental doctors.
The target is to elevate the existing 5,000 professionals to a remarkable 10,000, and this initiative will commence in the upcoming academic year through heightened admissions into medical and dental institutions.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, chose Wednesday to disclose this information during the induction ceremony for foreign-trained medical and dental graduates, which was conducted in Abuja by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Dr. Alausa stressed the importance of rendering the healthcare environment more appealing to prevent the substantial migration of licensed doctors and other healthcare professionals to more developed countries.
According to his analysis, the annual production of slightly over 3,000 doctors in Nigeria remains grossly inadequate, emphasizing the necessity to double the rate of healthcare worker production.
‘Equally, we shall expand these opportunities to all other health professionals like pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists, community health extension workers, radiographers, and others. Although this will be in phases. We shall create room to produce more and excess because globally, there’s a shortage of health manpower, which has been estimated at a shortage of 18 million people,’ he stated.
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As per the minister’s statement, the ministry will persist in its advocacy for increased funding within the healthcare sector and will work to extend the value chain to attract additional international grants and funding.
‘We are determined to promote industrial harmony in the health sector, by discouraging industrial action in the health sector that has bedevilled the system. The primary healthcare system in Nigeria will be better positioned to address the several challenges that have impeded the accessibility, quality, and effectiveness of healthcare services through a renewed drive to promote health at the grassroots.’
‘Attaining the UHC, we shall ensure that all individuals and communities have access to essential health services without suffering financial hardships, by optimising health insurance, promoting equitable access, and investing in -healthcare infrastructure amongst others. Policy reforms, advocacy for increased funding, implementation of health insurance schemes, investment in healthcare infrastructure, health education campaigns, and initiatives to improve equity in access to healthcare services and finally halting medical tourism.’
‘As we celebrate the achievement of our children today, I would like to advise parents to look out for advice from the MDCN on the countries to send their children for medical degrees. Over the years, poor performance in board exams for foreign-trained medical personnel is traceable to inadequate training that falls short of our required standards in Nigeria. We cannot compromise standards that will lead to reckless loss of lives, especially mothers and children,’ he added.
In light of this, he urged those being inducted to carry out their responsibilities with the utmost dedication and to uphold the profession’s integrity.
Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, the Registrar of the MDCN, noted in his remarks that the council is in the process of implementing measures to discourage Nigerian doctors from emigrating.
Sanusi said, ‘That is why we do not register membership of the West African College of Surgeons and the West African College of Physicians. We cannot continue to use taxpayers’ money to train people and at the point of the need by the society, they decide to leave the country.’
‘I will keep saying that you cannot see an American or a Briton that has been trained with taxpayers’ money leave those territories. We believe that with the few people we have if properly spread, it will have a meaningful impact.’
‘We are working tirelessly to increase the capacity of our local medical school without comprising the standard.’
The Registrar stressed that, as per the council’s policy, the inductees do not fall under the membership of the Association of Resident Doctors. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the Nigerian constitution upholds the freedom of association.
‘Today’s induction is a call to service, and it is a service to humanity. If you think that you have been sanctioned here, and you can escape to another jurisdiction, it is not possible because a letter of good standing will be requested from the jurisdiction you are coming from,’ he added.
It’s been reported that 189 individuals from the medical field and 16 from the dental field were formally inducted into their respective professions.