SAN FRANCISCO, August 15, (THEWILL) – A Vice President of the Commonwealth Medical Association and immediate past president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has condemned Thursday’s suspension of Doctors Residency Training programme in the country and the sack of over 16,000 resident doctors by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued on Friday, Enabulele said : “The decision of the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-led Federal Government to suspend Residency Training Programme (RTP) in Nigeria and sack over 16, 000 Resident doctors and would-be specialist medical doctors and dentists is a most unstatesmanly, unsustainable and ill-advised approach towards the resolution of the challenges in the health sector.”
He described the decision as unproductive and one that is capable of further worsening the crisis and the challenges in the health sector.
“This latest action of the Federal Government clearly indicates that most of our political office holders hardly learn lessons from history, or else why would a government in this 21st century apply a most draconian option that never succeeded even under the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari in 1985 or the infamous authoritarian dismissal of 774 doctors by the Babatunde Raji Fashola-led Lagos state government in 2012.
“I am most appalled by the use of an extreme, unwarranted and retrogressive measure by the present federal government, especially at this time of public health emergency when members of the Nigerian Medical Association across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory are visibly in the field contributing their quota towards the containment of the Ebola virus disease outbreak, irrespective of the non-provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and a miserable hazard allowance of N5, 000:00k per month,” he stated.
According to Enabulele, “The negative consequences of this government decision are unimaginable. For one the current poor health indices of Nigeria will further nose dive, especially on account of the immense dearth of skilled medical manpower in Nigeria. “
He also said:” Currently, Nigeria has an abysmal doctor-patient population ratio of 1; 6,300. With this action of government the ratio will further decline to about 1:15, 500.
Nigeria has less than 3,000 Specialist Medical and Dental practitioners (Consultants) providing specialist medical and dental care to over 170million Nigerians. There are lots of Nigerian trained medical specialists constantly migrating to countries with better work conditions/conditions of service and enabling environment. As at the end of 2013 there were over 4,000 Nigerian trained specialist medical/dental practitioners in Britain alone and many more in the United States of America.
“ With this action of government, there is bound to be worsening of the brain drain phenomenon with increased migration of doctors and specialist medical/dental practitioners abroad. This will certainly worsen the health human resource crisis in Nigeria.
“Surely, it will deprive Nigeria of the required skilled medical/dental manpower needed to handle the increasingly complex medical/dental conditions of the 21st century. Similarly, the morbidity and mortality indices are sure to worsen on account of this shocking and highly despicable action of government.”
Enabulele said “The deficit in health human resource caused by the intense brain drain that followed the reckless proscription of NMA and NARD by the General Muhammadu Buhari regime in 1985 is yet to be surmounted.”
He maintained that the recent action of government will certainly worsen the brain drain phenomenon, widen the gap in health human resource and further weaken Nigeria’s fragile health system.
He therefore called on President Jonathan to listen “to the voices of reason, quickly reflect on his decision, and reverse the Federal Government’s decision to suspend RTP in Nigeria and sack over 16, 000 Nigeria doctors.’’
According to the former NMA President, “there is still room for constructive dialogue and amicable resolution of the current dispute between the Federal Government and Nigerian doctors.”
\He also urged the President to draw back on what he described as an “extreme action” and initiate a more amicable and states-manly resolution of the disputes and challenges in the health sector.
“It should not be in his time that Nigeria witnessed a free fall in her health indices. The situation certainly is still rescue-able and I expect President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to reverse the suspension of Residency Training Programme in Nigeria. I also expect the President to reverse the sack of over 16, 000 Resident doctors before the consequential damage to Nigeria’s health sector becomes irreversible,” he said.
