Nigerian Doctors to Be Stopped From Relocating Abroad? Lawmakers Make Unbelievable Move With New Bill
- The majority of House of Reps lawmakers supported a bill that will curb the mass exodus of Nigerian medical personnel to other countries
- The bill proposes that Nigeria-trained medical practitioners should not be granted full licenses until they have worked for five years in the country
- Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson sponsored the bill, which has already passed second reading
A bill aimed at curbing the migration of Nigerian-trained medical and dental practitioners to foreign countries passed second reading at the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 6.
The bill proposes that medical practitioners must have worked for at least five years in the country before being granted full licenses.
Source: Twitter
This is to address the increasing number of doctors leaving Nigeria in search of better opportunities abroad, Daily Trust reports.
In December 2022, a report by the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) showed that the country lost over 500 highly-skilled medical and dental consultants to other more developed countries within two years. It was gathered that nine out of every 10 medical and dental consultants with less than five years' experience on the job had plans to leave the country.
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About the bill
Titled ‘the Bill for an Act to Amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act 2004’, it was sponsored by Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson.
Johnson believes it is only fair for medical practitioners who have benefited from taxpayer subsidies on their training to pay back by serving a minimum number of years in Nigeria before taking their skills abroad.
How lawmakers reacted to the bill
While the majority of lawmakers supported the bill, others criticised it and called for flexibility and options in the envisaged law.
Premium Times reported that Uzoma Nkem-Abonta was against the bill. He said tying a doctor down for five years in Nigeria before seeking employment outside is akin to enslavement.
Mark Gbillah (LP, Benue) also spoke against the bill and called for better framing of the legislation.
However, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the proposed bill was not infringing on the rights of medical practitioners. He cited section 45 of the 1999 Constitution, which allows the government to suspend certain rights due to certain conditions.
Over 10,000 doctors left Nigeria for UK in last 7 years, NMA says
The Nigerian Medical Association had in 2022 claimed that over 10,000 doctors left Nigeria for the United Kingdom, for greener pastures.
According to NMA, a Nigerian doctor is poorly paid, overworked, lacks necessary work tools and has become a target for kidnappers
It added that the official register of medical practitioners in the UK showed that the GMC licensed at least 200 Nigerian-trained doctors within a month.
Source: Legit.ng
