The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Uche Rowland Ojinmah, has disclosed that many qualified doctors in Nigeria are still jobless despite the unprecedented brain drain that plagues the health sector.
Ojinmah made the disclosure when he appeared on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today on Thursday.
He was speaking on the exodus of Nigerian medical practitioners leaving the country for new lease of life abroad.
Recently a bill was sponsored by a lawmaker from Lagos, Hon. Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson, proposing a mandatory five-year work in Nigeria by Nigerian doctors before being given a full practicing licence. The bill had passed the second reading in the House of Representatives.
However, Ojinmah, stated that the high number of medical practitioners leaving the country has not positively impacted the high rate of unemployment among doctors in Nigeria.
He said: “Even based on the fact that doctors are leaving, some are still not employed and there is a story of one-for-one policy that they will start replacing those that leave immediately. Meanwhile, the policy has been on the drawing board for months and nothing is happening.”
He noted that government is using ineffective solution to address the issue of brain drain, stressing that jobs and good remuneration should be given to the many doctors still seeking employment in the country.
At least, 13,609 Nigerian doctors have migrated to the UK alone in the past eight years which is third behind Pakistan and India.
Nigerian doctor’s to patient ratio stands at one doctor to 5,000 patients, which is far beyond the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of one doctor to 600 patients.
Dr Ojinma while explaining why doctors are leaving the country in droves said the ratio in rural areas and conflict zones is far worse.
“When you talk of rural areas, you may be talking about one to 9,000. When you talk of these areas where there is banditry and terrorism, it may be one in 20,000 or more,” he said.