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C<br />
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BRAIN DRAIN: We now have one<br />
doctor to 6,400 patients — Medical<br />
experts<br />
By Dayo Johnson &<br />
Joseph Erunke<br />
MEDICAL experts<br />
have raised the alarm<br />
that the ratio of doctors<br />
available in the country<br />
was now one to 6,400<br />
patients as a result of<br />
brain-drain.<br />
The experts, including<br />
the Chief Medical<br />
Director, University of<br />
Medical Sciences<br />
Teaching Hospital, Ondo<br />
State, Dr. Oluwole Ige,<br />
and an Associate<br />
Professor of Orthopaedic<br />
Rehabilitation, Obafemi<br />
Awolowo University, Ilelfe,<br />
Osun state, Dr.<br />
Teslim Onigbinde, spoke<br />
in Ondo at the 2nd<br />
induction<br />
of<br />
physiotherapists, who<br />
recently graduated from<br />
the University of<br />
Medical Sciences,<br />
UNIMED, Ondo.<br />
The figure is 5,900<br />
patients higher than the<br />
United Nations<br />
recommended ratio of<br />
one doctor to 500<br />
patients.<br />
It is also 1,400 patients<br />
higher than one doctor<br />
to 5,000 patients, the<br />
Nigerian Medical<br />
Association, NMA,<br />
declared, late last<br />
month, at its Anambra<br />
Chapter’s Physicians’<br />
Week and Scientific<br />
Conference in Nnewi.<br />
38.7% of<br />
Nigerians suffer<br />
healthcare<br />
depreciation<br />
Apart from poor access<br />
to doctors, access to<br />
health facilities is also a<br />
challenge, as the<br />
recently released multidimensional<br />
poverty by<br />
the National Bureau of<br />
Statistics survey showed<br />
• Say Nigeria in emergency situation• 38.7% of<br />
Nigerians suffer healthcare depreciation – NBS<br />
report•As NMA asks FG to act fast<br />
that more than one out of<br />
every three Nigerian<br />
suffers deprivation in<br />
terms of time to<br />
healthcare.<br />
According to the report,<br />
titled: “The 2022<br />
Multidimensional<br />
Poverty Index,” a<br />
household is deprived if<br />
it takes them 30 minutes<br />
or more to reach the<br />
nearest functional health<br />
facility or primary<br />
healthcare centre on<br />
foot.<br />
The survey revealed<br />
that 38.7 per cent of<br />
Nigerians spend more<br />
than 30 minutes to reach<br />
the nearest functional<br />
health facility.<br />
NMA Secretary<br />
General, Dr. Jide<br />
Onyekwelu, who spoke<br />
at the Nnewi event, had<br />
said the rate at which<br />
doctors were migrating<br />
for greener pastures<br />
posed serious manpower<br />
crisis in the health sector,<br />
noting that while the UN<br />
standard recommended<br />
an average of one doctor<br />
to 500 patients, the ratio<br />
had dropped to about<br />
1:5000 in Nigeria due to<br />
the declining number of<br />
doctors in the country.<br />
Current statistics,<br />
according to the medical<br />
experts at the induction<br />
ceremony in Ondo, the<br />
number has dropped<br />
further to 6,400 patients<br />
to one doctor.<br />
Dr. lge expressed<br />
worries over the rate at<br />
which medical<br />
professionals were<br />
leaving Nigeria in<br />
search of better<br />
opportunities abroad.<br />
He called for urgent<br />
measure to salvage the<br />
trend, saying: "the<br />
country is in dire<br />
emergency situation<br />
within the medical<br />
sector.”<br />
Ige, who spoke<br />
through, the Chairman,<br />
Medical Advisory<br />
Committee, CMAC, Dr.<br />
Michael Gbala,<br />
expressed mixed<br />
feelings that half of the<br />
34 inductees were<br />
already nursing the<br />
ambition to board the<br />
next flight to developed<br />
countries and appealed<br />
to medical personnel in<br />
Nigeria to always give a<br />
second thought before<br />
leaving the country.<br />
His words: "You<br />
(inductees) are coming<br />
at a time there is mass<br />
exodus of medical<br />
personnel. The<br />
university has taken<br />
about five years to train<br />
you, so Nigerians will<br />
be happy to have you<br />
around.<br />
"If your lecturers had<br />
left, they will not be<br />
around to train you. We<br />
are in a very serious<br />
situation. Except<br />
something is done, we<br />
might be heading<br />
From left: President Muhammadu Buhari with the President of Niger Republic,<br />
Mohammed Bazoum; President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo and<br />
President of the Chadian Transition Government and Head of State, General<br />
Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in Niamey, Niger Republic yesterday.<br />
Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2022 — 5<br />
POCKET CARTOON<br />
towards major crisis. I<br />
salute those who are still<br />
around, despite the<br />
challenging situation.<br />
"Wherever you may be,<br />
ensure you continue to<br />
retrain yourselves and<br />
be good ambassadors of<br />
the institution."<br />
On his part, Dr.<br />
Onigbinde described the<br />
ratio of doctors available<br />
to patients in the country<br />
as worrisome and<br />
stressed the urgent need<br />
to halt the brain drain in<br />
the health sector.<br />
‘Work in<br />
Nigeria first’<br />
The Vice Chancellor of<br />
the institution, Prof.<br />
Olusegun Fatusi, who<br />
was represented by the<br />
Deputy Vice Chancellor,<br />
Administration and<br />
Clinicals, Prof. Adolphus<br />
Loto, said the inductees<br />
could seek employment<br />
in any country they<br />
desire, but advised that<br />
they must ensure they<br />
worked in Nigeria first<br />
before travelling out of<br />
the country.<br />
"It is your right to seek<br />
employment anywhere<br />
in the world because it is<br />
part of the international<br />
labour mobility. But my<br />
advice is that before you<br />
leave, you must get a job<br />
here.<br />
"Many people cannot<br />
come back because there<br />
By Matthew Johnson &<br />
Prudence George<br />
On 133m Nigerians living in poverty and way forward<br />
is nothing to fall back on.<br />
You have two goals in<br />
your career; to solve<br />
societal problems and to<br />
solve personal problems.<br />
"We are proud of you<br />
and your achievement so<br />
far. The induction<br />
programme, as you have<br />
been well-tutored, is not<br />
a mere ceremony. It is a<br />
critical rite of passage<br />
into a new life – the life<br />
of professional health<br />
workers, and specifically<br />
your entry into the<br />
distinguished and<br />
rewarding profession of<br />
physiotherapy."<br />
Also, the Dean, Faculty<br />
of<br />
Medical<br />
Rehabilitation, Prof.<br />
Matthew Olaogun,<br />
advised the inductees to<br />
remain focused on their<br />
chosen career, and<br />
pursue what they had<br />
learned in the university<br />
with the spirit of<br />
godliness and<br />
excellence.<br />
He also expressed<br />
concern over the rate<br />
doctors were relocating<br />
abroad, leaving the<br />
health sector in dire<br />
straits.<br />
The Registrar, Medical<br />
Rehabilitation Body of<br />
Nigeria, Olufunke<br />
Akanni, represented by<br />
the Deputy Registrar, Mr<br />
Akinyele Adeniran,<br />
admonished them to be<br />
watchful of hospitals<br />
Continues on Page 35<br />
THE rates at which<br />
company and other investors<br />
are running away from<br />
Nigeria is contributing to rate<br />
of poverty. As a nation, we depend<br />
mostly on imported item<br />
and our exportation of goods<br />
to other country is very low. In<br />
order to drag the statistics down<br />
we need to be a productive<br />
country.<br />
—Oyindamola Owolabi,<br />
Brand Ambassador<br />
THE NBS statistic is<br />
a clarion call that<br />
something should be done<br />
urgently to prevent Nigeria<br />
from descending into<br />
anarchy. 133 million people<br />
are a threat to the peace<br />
of any nation. The federal<br />
government should act fast<br />
to bring down the numbers.<br />
—Ado Fatima,<br />
Student<br />
WHEN a country’s<br />
investment policies<br />
are not favorable for local<br />
and foreign investors, that<br />
is what you get; a mob of<br />
hungry people. If nothing<br />
is done urgently, the numbers<br />
will continue to rise<br />
and only God knows what<br />
will become of the rich people.<br />
—Yamano Isaac,<br />
Student<br />
ITS true that inflation<br />
rate is over 20% which<br />
is directly proportional to<br />
an increase in the cost of<br />
living while earning capacity<br />
remain the same, thus<br />
shoving people below the<br />
poverty index. Something<br />
needs to be done very fast<br />
to remedy the situation.<br />
—Daniel Ololo,<br />
Pharmacologist<br />
IT all boils down to<br />
the economy and cost<br />
of living which is relatively<br />
very high. Unfortunately<br />
we no longer have middle<br />
class citizens in Nigeria.<br />
You are either poor or<br />
rich. When the number of<br />
poor people is more that<br />
rich people in any nation,<br />
there is serious danger.<br />
— Lori Anthony,<br />
Industrialist<br />
THE NBS figures are<br />
scary should be taken<br />
seriously by the federal<br />
government. The solution<br />
is to intensify the fight<br />
against corruption with a<br />
more robust anti-corruption<br />
policy. We also need a<br />
strong fiscal policy to drive<br />
the economy.<br />
—Nwankwo Chibuzor,<br />
Businessman