The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, says the Federal Government is only concerned with the experienced medical personnel who left the country.
While noting that the migration of doctors to foreign countries is not peculiar to Nigeria, he said efforts are on-going to make them still offer virtual service to Nigeria.
Ehanire disclosed this during a ministerial forum in Abuja on Saturday.
He therefore assured that the federal government is working towards improving the condition of service of Nigerian doctors to check the migration of the medical personnel.
In his words, “At a very senior level of those who have had postgraduate training, we are doing everything we can to improve the conditions of service.”
“The health reform committee set up by the President is working and looking at that; we have been talking with the Ministry of Labour on how to do that.”
“We are also talking about engaging those who have spent many years abroad, who are specialists, who are highly specialised, and who know a lot of high tech medicine, to engage them to work with us even if it is virtually so they can do virtual consultations.”
“They can come here every three months or six for a few weeks and do some work hands-on so that we can gain something from their experience and knowledge.”
“This is so that we can harvest the knowledge and skills that they developed after working for many years in highly developed countries.”
While describing the issue of migration of health workers particularly doctors and nurses as a global phenomenon and not peculiar to Nigeria, Ehanire added that people in those professions were becoming a very mobile professional group.
He further said, “I have spoken with health authorities in the United Kingdom, and they have told me that their doctors are also leaving for Canada, New Zealand and other countries where the pay is better.”
“So, the movement of doctors is not peculiar to Nigeria, Ghana has the same experience. I spoke to the Minister of Health of Egypt and they have the same experience in mobility and even in Europe, doctors relocate to where the salaries are better.”
“As far as we are concerned, it is the very experienced ones who leave we have issues with.”
He revealed that Nigeria produces about 3,000 doctors every year and the number that is leaving is just about 1000, “so, there is indeed a surplus of doctors.”
