By Peter Ovie Akus
SIR: In a bid to reverse brain drain in the medical profession, a member of the House of Representative, Ganiyu Johnson (APC, Lagos), recently proposed an amendment to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The proposed amendment seeks to make it compulsory for graduates in medical and dental fields to render services within Nigeria for five years before being granted a full license.
The sponsor and backers of this bill fail to appreciate that economic migration is a right that cannot be legislated against. It is based on the natural instinct in each human to always seek opportunities to better self, no matter where those opportunities are located.
Since ancient times till date, humans have always sought out greener pastures and moved in the direction where they lay. Compelling medical professionals to serve in a particular location for five years is a negation of Section 41 of the constitution which guarantees freedom of movement for every Nigerian. It is also a negation of Article 13(2) of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights which states that everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return.
True, there is a mass exodus of medical professionals from the country which keeps increasing every year. However, the solution is not by compelling them to stay. What the government should be looking at are the conditions responsible for the brain drain and how to ameliorate those conditions. 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.
The argument that medical professionals enjoy subsidised education borne by taxpayers and so should be compelled to serve compulsorily for five years before they can be granted a licence does not hold water. All graduates of tertiary institutions enjoy subsidised education. Why is the bill targeted at only medical professionals? Is it only the medical sector that is experiencing brain drain?
We run the risk of discouraging students from pursuing medical education if this bill is passed into law. This will further exacerbate the problem of shortage of healthcare professionals in Nigeria.
Government should provide better equipment for our hospitals, ensure better treatment for medical professionals, improve working and living conditions, and pay them wages commensurate with those working in the oil industry. Additionally, the government can come up with a credit scheme which makes it easy for the least medical professional to easily acquire a car and a house amongst other benefits. These and more are some of the ways to control the brain drain in the medical sector.