FIVE-YEAR MANDATORY SERVICE FOR MEDICAL DOCTORS

It is only fair for those who benefitted from the country’s endowment to give back, argues Danladi Ibrahim

It was a well-intended bill that drew the ire of medical professionals and other concerned stakeholders. Countries often take pragmatic steps in stemming the tide of mass exodus of their critical professionals, resulting in brain drain. There are many measures adopted depending on how dire the situation appears. In some instances, incentives in form of wage increment and other perks to enhance the conditions of service and living standards of these categories of professionals are often done to keep them for the needs of their respective countries. 

Doctors working in government-owned health facilities in Nigeria had over time benefitted from pay rise, and other allowances, like hazard and sundry allowances just to provide some forms of incentives and succor for the health professionals. These however, have not met the yearnings of health workers, especially doctors who frequently clamour for pay raise.  

The mass exodus of doctors to foreign climes, especially to the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada and few Arabian countries have further worsened the precarious situation in the health sector in Nigeria. Nigerian-trained doctors had left in droves to the detriment of the system. It was an unprecedented brain drain that had never been witnessed in the history of the country.  

The staggering statistics of doctors ‘escaping’ abroad is heart-rending. A study revealed that in November 2021, a total of 8,983 Nigerian-trained doctors were working in the United Kingdom. Another 727 were licensed in just five months between December 2021 and April 2022, bringing the total to 9,710 with at least 12 Nigerian doctors employed in the United Kingdom every week.

Likewise, about 3,895 Nigerian-educated doctors are licensed to practice medicine in the United State as of 2020, with Nigerians accounting for about one in 50 of all licensed physicians who were international medical graduates, the report says.

 This ugly trend that has become a huge national burden necessitated the House of Representatives to propose the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to stem the tide in the interest of national development.  The bill which has gone through second reading, seeks to make it compulsory for graduates in medical and dental fields to render services within Nigeria for five years before being granted full licence to practice.

The bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M379, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Mandate Any Nigeria Trained Medical or Dental Practitioner to Practice in Nigeria for a Minimum of Five Years Before Granted a Full Licence by the Council in Order to Make Quality Health Services Available to Nigeria; and for Related Matters,” was meant to check the mass exodus of medical professionals from the country.

The sponsor of the bill, Hon Ganiyu Johnson, representing Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency, in his argument, said Nigeria currently has only 24,000 licensed medical doctors available in the country, which is less than 10 percent of the number needed to meet the World Health Organisation recommendation, hence the need to pass the bill into law.

He added that passing the bill into law will make quality health services available to Nigerians considering the growing trend of the Nigerian population and the current emigration rate of Nigeria-trained medical and dental practitioners abroad.

“This bill, if considered and passed by this Green Chamber, will not only bring about the necessary social justice to the Nigerian people but also improve the health services available to Nigerians, because Nigerians will be able to enjoy the service of the medical doctors and dentists who were able to get trained through their resources, at least for the period of five years here proposed before migrating abroad,” Hon Johnson made passionate appeal to the House.

The uproar that attended the bill is not unexpected. In a country, where sensationalism and sentiment thrive, you should not expect anything less. Nigeria public tertiary education is arguably one of the cheapest in the world. The government in the form of subsidies helped many, especially from indigent homes to get premium education at a very subsidized rate. It is only right for those who had benefited from the common patrimony of the nation to give back services to their country.

The above line of thought resonated with the argument of Hon Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire. He said, “because if the government allows you to get training for about one-tenth or one-twentieth of the cost of the private university, then it means it is subsidised. Therefore, I’m sure Ganiyu was thinking about those in that category who should also give back to the country, having received a classy education that is respected outside. This is because even the cost of training here is very small compared to school fees paid in foreign countries to become a doctor. I think this is the angle the representatives was looking at the issue from.”

Buttressing this point, Daily Trust in its editorial titled, “Yes to the 5-Year Doctor’s Mandatory Service Bill”, argued that, “The UK is a popular destination for Nigeria’s doctors seeking greener pastures. But it will cost, on average, a medical student or their parents about N60 million for a full medical education in Britain. This is why many medical students there are already neck-deep in debt by the time they are leaving medical school.

“In Nigeria, it will cost a medical student less than 10% of that because federal and state governments pay for tuition in Nigerian public universities. Daily Trust, therefore, commends this initiative which seeks to make subsidized tertiary education work to the benefit of Nigerians at large”.

In as much as better condition of service is desirable, it is imperative for young medical professionals to prioritise love for their fatherland above craze for greener pastures.

 Ibrahim writes from Kano