How to curb brain drain in health sector – Experts

To curb brain drain in Nigeria and encourage doctors and other health professionals in Nigeria to stay back and practice their profession, experts have advocated increased budgetary allocation to the nation’s health sector.

This advocacy was made by health professionals who spoke at the 10th annual symposium organised by Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN) at the weekend in Lagos.

Speaking on the theme of the symposium, “Curbing the High Rate of Brain Drain in the Nigerian Health Sector,” the keynote speaker and President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Francis Adedayo Faduyile, enumerated the causes of brain drain and also proffer suggestion on how to curb the malady.

Faduyile who blamed government’s lack of interest in health sector revealed that in the entire constitution of Nigeria, the issue of health of the people is mentioned only once, adding that health sector is totally relegated.

The NMA boss said as a result of this, the association is crying aloud to government to let them know that the yearly budgetary allocation for the sector is not enough to take care of health challenges of the people. “Once there is no enough funding for health sector, it will be difficult if not completely impossible for us to have appropriate and adequate facilities, personnel and other infrastructure to take care of the health of the people.”

He informed that in some state of the federation, health workers are being owed up to 12 months salaries, noting that situation like this can discourage workers and make them to look elsewhere in the world to ply their professional trade.

Faduyile said today in Nigeria doctors and other health professionals are overworked, adding that where they’re supposed be ten doctors, only one is available and blamed government for lack of interest in employing more hands.

“Government is not interested in employing more hands in our public health sector. Our members in these hospitals are overworked and because of this, many times are frustrated as a result of the situation.”

He said many doctors have left this country because of inadequate infrastructure and dearth of health equipment in our public hospitals.

“Many of our members have left this country because of lack of functional equipment to safe lives which are their professional mandate. A situation where you watch five or more patients died in your presence when you know how to intervene but there is no equipment for you to intervene, you will be frustrated to leave the system,” Faduyile said.

Other causes of brain drain, he mentioned, are economic uncertainties; lack of safety and security; disharmony among members.

On disharmony among health professionals in the country, he said NMA is working assiduously to ensure peace reigns among its members.

He said the effects of brain drain are numerous, noting that the country will lose skilled workforce; people will lose confidence in the economy and there will be loss of critical health and educational service in the country.

On the advantage, he said, some people migrated to other countries to acquire more knowledge and return back to Nigeria being highly skilled to contribute to the nation’s growth and peoples’ wellbeing.

He posited that in 2017, five countries of the world namely China, India, France, Egypt and Nigeria had the highest remittances back to their home countries.

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