President of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Uche Rowland Ojinmah has stated that kidnapping and insecurity are major causes of medical brain drain for Nigeria’s current reality.
Ojinmah tasked Federal Government to playing lip service and design a security architecture that would guarantee safety of all Nigerians, saying “the menace of kidnap of doctors/dentists and their relatives have become a daily event to the point of desensitization.”
NMA Chairman Plateau State Branch,Dr. Bapiga’an William Audu on behalf of the National president raised the alarm while addressing newsmen as part of activities to mark 2023 physicians’ week, held in Jos Monday.
According to him, “in fact, in the midst of work, we are in death. We and our relatives have lost our fundamental right of freedom of movement and our government and society are just moving on.
“At this juncture, we wish to thank God for all our colleagues that were abducted but lived to tell the story. We pray for their employers to provide them necessary physical and mental health support to completely overcome the medical and psychologic sequelae.
“Let me also remind the government of Cross River State that we are still awaiting for information on the whereabouts of Prof.U.U.Iweha. We will not stop asking. Kidnap and insecurity, I must tell you are now major causes of medical brain drain and we call for action not rhetoric”, he stated.
The NMA National president also demands immediate implementation of review salary scheme for doctors.
“The progress towards payment of slightly improved salary to our members is just too slow. We are using this opportunity to call on government to immediately commence the payment of the recently reviewed CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures with their arrears and also the Accoutrement allowance for medical doctors and dentists.
“I hope there won’t be need for us to engage in another round of agitation for the implementation of what has been circularized since July 2023. Let’s make hay while the sun shines.”
The association kick against the routine incapacitation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, regulatory function, saying is no longer acceptable.
“The Act setting up the MDCN stated that the Council shall be in perpetuity but the practice whereby government allows the Council of MDCN to elapse without replacement especially for long duration compromise the ability to regulate medical properly as the investigative panel and Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Tribunal which are organs of the Council cannot be constituted”, he added.
Plateau State chairman of NMA, Bapiga’an hinted that the 2023 physicians’ week long event would saw them focus on carrying free medical outreach for the Nigeria Police, symposium, media engagement, games to improve mental and physical health of doctors.
