Brain Drain: “Resist Temptation To Flee Nigeria” Shettima Tells Doctors

Mr Shettima commended the significant contributions and sacrifices of Nigerian doctors in repositioning healthcare delivery. The Nigerian government has appealed to the country’s medical practitioners to resist the temptation of rendering services in foreign lands and work with the current administration to improve the nation’s situation.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, in a recent meeting with the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), made the appeal, assuring the doctors that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is committed to their welfare and has empathy for those who choose to stay amid the “Japa syndrome”.

According to a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, the NMA leadership, led by its President, Bala Audu, paid Mr Shettima a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

Mr Shettima urged the Nigerian doctors not to despair and implored them to “remain steadfast,” commending them for the significant contributions and sacrifices they make towards repositioning the country’s healthcare delivery.

“Let us stay back and salvage this nation together. This is our country, the greatest black nation on earth, and a promising nation that we need to invest in,” he was quoted to have said.

“The NMA is one of the most prestigious, preeminent associations in this country. We must commend you for the sacrifices you are making and for staying put in this nation.
“All hope is not lost because Nigerian doctors are making giant strides, recording milestones in the profession and, most importantly, making tremendous sacrifices to serve this nation.”

Mr Shettima further asked the NMA to encourage young doctors to specialise in key disciplines of medical practice and also check the activities of quacks in the profession.

NMA’s Comments
In his comments, the NMA president said the executive committee members of the association were at the presidential villa to show solidarity for the Tinubu administration, particularly on account of its policies for the health sector.

Mr Audu said: “The NMA has come here today as a partner to your government and a patriotic group of Nigerians dedicated to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda of this government and to ensure that this government delivers quality healthcare to all Nigerians.

“NMA remains patriotic to this nation and will fully support the health policies of your government to drive improvement in quality healthcare delivery and universal access to services to all Nigerians.” He noted that the executive committee will work closely with the government in delivering and implementing the policies in the healthcare sector.

“The NMA wants to assure and reassure you that it will play a key role in ensuring stability in the health sector and by extension, stability for this government to deliver on its promises to Nigerians as it has already started doing,” he added.

Mr Audu further noted that when fully implemented, the programmes and projects of the Tinubu health policies will increase the training spaces for specialists in the country, as well as the quality of the postgraduate medical training.

“We are sure that this government will address the infrastructural needs to be able to sustain the quality of this training as well as the remuneration that will improve the wellbeing of Nigerian doctors to remain and serve in this country,” he said.

Brain Drain
Also, the Nigerian Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, recently lamented that the country’s health system remains weak partly because its trained health professionals migrated to developed countries that did not invest in their first professional education.

Hundreds of Nigerian health workers migrate annually to more advanced countries, mainly because they seek better working conditions and better quality of life. Various statistics show that over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors migrated to the UK between 2015 and 2022.

According to the development Research and Project Centre (dRPC), 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK in 2015; the number increased to 279 in 2016; in 2017 the figure was 475; in 2018, the figure rose to 852; in 2019 it increased to 1,347; in 2020, the figure was 833 and in 2021, it was put at 932.