Nigerian Medical Students Now Write Foreign Exams Before Graduation To Japa — NMA Raises Alarm Over Doctors’ Exodus
The Nigerian Medical Association has raised alarm over growing migration of doctors, saying medical students now begin planning to leave the country even before completing training.
NMA President, Prof Afekhide-Ernest Omoti, disclosed this while responding to inquiries from Sunday PUNCH, stressing development poses serious threat to country’s health system and requires urgent Federal Government intervention.
Omoti said situation has become so entrenched that some medical students are already preparing for foreign qualifying examinations before completing studies, with intention of relocating soon after obtaining professional registration.
“The Nigerian medical student, even before he graduates, is already planning how to leave the country because he’s seen what is ahead of him, that there is no future ahead,” he said.
According to him, young doctors often begin writing foreign examinations during their internship so they can leave immediately after registration process.
“We cannot continue like that. We want that junior doctor, or that medical student, to look ahead of him and see that doctors ahead of him are living fairly comfortably, and are not living in fear, they are not living in penury,” Omoti said.
He said NMA had submitted proposal for minimum retention package to government, adding association was not demanding salaries equivalent to what doctors earn in developed countries.
“We’re not asking that you give us what is equivalent to what people earn abroad, but we’re saying give us what will make doctor happy to remain in country, and that amount is not that much,” he said.
“Every doctor wants to remain in this country, I can assure you, hardly any doctor ordinarily would want to leave. We want to stay. But for many people, they just cannot do it anymore.”
“The government spends so much money to train an average doctor, and these doctors leave for free. Who loses? The government loses; the Nigerian people lose. It is important to do everything that can train these doctors to retain them,” he said.
Omoti also spoke about attacks and harassment of healthcare workers, saying frequency has become alarming.
He said national policy against intimidation and harassment of healthcare workers had been developed and released.
According to him, policy places responsibility on hospitals to provide security for healthcare workers and ensure perpetrators are prosecuted and made to compensate affected workers. He called for increased security, including CCTV cameras and adequate personnel in emergency areas.
