The sponsor of the motion, Ganiyu Johnson (APC/Lagos), said
the move was to check the mass exodus of medical professionals from the
country.
The legislation is 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 License
by the Council in Order to Make Quality Health Services Available to Nigeria; and
for Related Matters.’
Nigeria has been going through one of the worst situations
of brain drain in its history with many doctors who obtained their degrees in
Nigeria leaving the country to seek greener pastures.
Nigeria has the third highest number of foreign doctors
working in the United Kingdom after India, and Pakistan.
While the Federal Government claimed that brain drain is not
peculiar to Nigeria, the World Health Organisation warned that this could
negatively impact the health systems and hinder progress toward achieving
universal health coverage and health security.
A 2023 health workforce support and safeguards list report
released by the WHO showed that Nigeria and 36 other African countries face the
most pressing health workforce challenges related to Universal Health Coverage.
NiMSA, however, in a statement signed by its President, Ejim
Egba said the proposed bill is unpatriotic, ill-timed, and a breach of the
fundamental human right of doctors as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of
Nigeria as amended.
According to the association, the bill is aimed at
strangulating the medical profession.
“The search for greener pastures abroad can be reduced by
making our land and pasture green, properly equipping our hospitals, better
treatment for doctors and the brain drain will be adequately controlled. Rep.
Johnson at this point should be steering conversations on medical
tourism and not doctor slavery. We firmly believe that this
bill is not the solution to the problem of brain drain, and we stand against it
in its entirety in the strongest possible terms.
“The intention behind the sponsorship of this bill does not
take into consideration the root causes of brain drain in Nigeria. The issue of
brain drain is multifaceted and requires a more comprehensive approach to
tackle it. Instead of trying to forcefully take doctors as slaves, the
lawmakers should be focusing on creating an enabling
environment that encourages doctors to stay and work in Nigeria.
“The lack of infrastructure, inadequate and inappropriate
remuneration, and poor working conditions are some of the major factors driving
medical professionals away from Nigeria. These issues need to be addressed if
we want to attract and retain our healthcare professionals; make our land
green,” the statement read in part.
The students added that the bill is a violation of the
fundamental human rights of medical professionals and should not see the light
of day.
They said the government has no right to force doctors to
work in a particular location against their will.
“We also unequivocally state that this bill will discourage
students from pursuing medical education in Nigeria, which will further
exacerbate the problem of the shortage of healthcare professionals. A better
way to bring up the issue of being trained with ‘taxpayer subsidies’ would be
to have it optional, the option of paying for medical education at the real
cost value, the option of obtaining student loans, and also the option of going
for the subsidised medical education with the caveat of staying behind for a
certain number of years to ‘pay back.
“Besides, not all doctors in the country are trained on
subsidy; one thing the bill failed to capture. Doctors need to have a choice,
even before they start their training so they can make better-informed
decisions.
“Additionally, we strongly believe that the bill is
arbitrary in nature and totally unconstitutional- it deprives the
Nigerian-trained medical and dental practitioners of their fundamental right to
freedom of movement by arbitrarily imposing restrictions on their movements
against the provision of Section 41 the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
“In conclusion, NiMSA vehemently opposes this bill in part
and in one whole. We call on the Sponsor of the bill to withdraw it with
immediate effect and seek better ways of finding a lasting solution to the
problem of brain drain by consultative collaboration with relevant stakeholders
in the health sector coupled with the government’s willingness to address the
root causes and underlying issues that drive healthcare professionals away from
Nigeria,” the association noted.