Nigeria governors have promise to bridge disparity in allowances paid to doctors in government hospitals, in order to stem the movement of health workers abroad in search of greener pasture.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman who spoke on Thursday when he received members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Abuja, also suggested training of more health workers to mitigate the issue of brain drain.
AbdulRahman who is also Kwara State governor, regretted that western countries are taken the best of the nation’s intellectuals, but said Nigeria can turn into an advantage.
He noted that India, which is now the fifth economy in the world, is exporting health workers to the western, and suggested that Nigeria should be able to train “our youths to be able to compete with India.”
The governor said he recognises the fact that migration of medical doctors from one state to the other in the country, is because of disparity in allowances, and disclosed that they are working to ensure that every state is at par in the payment of hazard and other allowances.
Said the NGF governor, “If we do not resolve our health issues we can never make progress as a nation. When somebody is ill, the person becomes immobile in all sorts of ways.
“The issue of brain drain has come to stay, we can’t stop it. What we need to do is to train more personnel. So we should be able to train our youths. We need to train more people to mitigate the drain.
“When it comes to the issue of hazard allowance, we will push our colleagues to make sure those allowances are paid. We will do our best to make sure every state increases the allowance to be at par with each other.”
NARD President Dr. Dele Olaitan, had regretted the rate at which health workers are leaving the country.
This he blamed on the poor implementation of basic allowances of doctors, and facilities at nation’s hospitals.
According to him, “Regardless of the equipment and facility in the health centers, if we do not have the manpower to put these equipment to use for the benefit of our people, then it will amount to a waste of time and resources.”.
“The major problems we have seen that are affecting the health care system and causing these disparities are mostly based on implementations of some basic welfare needs, and inadequate medical equipment in most states owned health institutions.”
The NARD expressed the hope that issues affecting the nation’s health sector would be solved, adding, “We need to empower tertiary healthcare institutions by getting them the manpower and ensure that this manpower doesn’t leave to other states.
“The salary scale has been reviewed by the Federal Government. What we realise is that some states are not even paying the last review, that is the 2019 review; they are still paying the 2014 review even if not up to 100 per cent.
“These are factors that will deter these doctors, and if patriotism is not put into consideration, a lot of doctors will have to move to other states where they will enjoy better welfare.”
