"Earn $3k to $4k": Nigerian Doctors "Japa" to Sierra Leone, Other African Countries to Earn Three Times More
- African countries are offering Nigerian doctors three times more than their earnings back home
- The CMD of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital has said the health industry is left with a critical dearth of trained workers
- According to him, other health workers like nurses, laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, and others have joined the train
Unlock the best of Legit.ng on Pinterest! Subscribe now and get your daily inspiration!
With countries like Sierra Leone and the Gambia offering much greater pay, up to $4000, there are concerns about the departure of Nigerian doctors of medicine and other healthcare professionals to other African countries.
Appearing before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee looking into racketeering in Federal Government agencies, Emem Bassey, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, observed this growing practise.
Source: Getty Images
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) earlier expressed worry about the surging migration pressure on Nigeria’s healthcare system. According to report, a few over 9,000 medical doctors are left in the country.
According to the British National Health Service (NHS), there are 4,722 nurses and midwives in the UK who have received their training in Nigeria, ranking first among all health professionals, Legit.ng earlier reported.
Skilled medical experts are leaving Nigeria
According to Bassey, the widespread departure of medical experts has left the health industry with a critical dearth of trained workers. Punch reported that the temptation of higher financial opportunities abroad is blamed for this movement.
The CMD said:
The West Coast is looking for our specialists. So many people are now going to places like Sierra Leone and Gambia, and the wages they earn – $3000 to $4000 – are about three to four times what they earn back home. So we are beginning to see that people are leaving for other African countries too.
He pointed out that there is a severe workforce issue now affecting the health sector. He claimed that we are witnessing a mass exodus of medical specialists, including not just doctors but also nurses, laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, radiologists, and other types of healthcare workers.
He added that it is a huge issue to replace these healthcare professionals because it is difficult to obtain waivers after giving permission to hire.
There is a need to replace health proffessionals who leave
According to Bassey, it is challenging to comply with federal character in recruitment due to the urgency of the need to replace various health professionals who leave.
Additionally, he claimed that because the past administrations had a pressing need to put a stop to strikes, they had signed absurd settlements.
He said:
A strike should be the very last option, but one of the things we have seen has been the fact that we see threats and threats and threats. I would say, that governments in the past sitting had negotiated resolutions that are not feasible, just because they want to end a strike.
Now, they have agreements that they cannot implement. And then after a certain period, six months or one year and you have not implemented it, people now go on strike. So we need to sit down together and negotiate.
Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee, asked the physicians to be patriotic by remaining in the country even if they had better options elsewhere in order to contribute to its progress.
He said that the committee will focus on finding a balance between adhering to the federal character and filling critical gaps in the health sector.
NARD makes fearful revelation on remaining number of doctors in Nigeria
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has said the number of medical doctors in the country decreases daily, adding that only about 10,000 resident doctors are left, Legit.ng earlier reported.
The President of the association, Dr Emeka Orji, stated this during an interview with The Punch on Monday, November 28.
According to Orji, about 100 resident doctors leave the country monthly to seek greener pastures, Vanguard report added.
Source: Legit.ng
