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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

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