The House of Representatives has urged the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to review the salary, allowance and welfare of Nigerian medical practitioners in a bid to stop the brain drain in Nigeria.
The House also urged the ministry to expand the size of the medical practitioners in the country to create employment for the unemployed ones and develop a functional strategy that will attract diaspora Medical personnel to work at various teaching hospitals.
These resolutions followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Ganiyu Johnson on Tuesday during the Plenary.
Moving the motion, Mr. Johnson said that despite Nigeria being among the highest producers of diaspora doctors in the world, he noted that the nation faces an acute shortage of medical practitioners in the country.
He blamed the brain drain in the medical sector on poor remuneration and other poor working conditions obtained in the sector.
“Nigeria has over Ninety Thousand (90,00) qualified Medical Doctors practising abroad and infact an average of fifty (50) doctors who had their primary Medical Education in Nigeria are said to be registering for practice every week in the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Canada and other oil-rich countries.”
“Some factors responsible for this development in Nigeria are inadequate infrastructure, poor human resources planning and management practices and structures, unsatisfactory working conditions characterized by heavy workloads and other factors such as lack of professional autonomy, poor supervision and support, long working hours, unsafe workplaces, inadequate career structures, poor working conditions and poor compensation packages are the factors contributing to the emigration from the country by surgeons, physicians, nurses and other medical professionals.”
To ensure compliance, the House mandated the Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity to facilitate the employment of the Nigerian medical practitioners.
It also mandated the Committee on Healthcare Services to call other relevant stakeholders for an interactive session in to proffer lasting solution to Brain Drain of Medical Personnel from Nigeria
