BY: News Peddlers
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The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has expressed concern about the high number of medical doctors leaving the country for greener pastures elsewhere.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal, the forum's chairman, expressed concern when he paid a courtesy visit to Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire in Abuja.
In a statement signed by Muhammad Bello, Mr. Tambuwal's Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity, on Sunday in Abuja, the governor called for immediate action to combat the threat.
"Over the years, we've seen a brain drain. It's terrifying. And I believe it has something to do with the medical personnel's well-being," the governor explained.
"I urge the federal government to do something about this immediately," he added.
The chairman of the NGF also urged the federal government to step up efforts to achieve the 25% needed to ensure universal healthcare coverage for all Nigerians under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).
According to him, the governors want to build a resilient healthcare platform that is dedicated to routine immunization and polio eradication in collaboration with global and local partners.
He, on the other hand, warned that if the alarming trend continued unabated, their efforts would be futile.
"There are challenges, but much has been accomplished, particularly in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, which propelled Nigeria to first place out of 54 African countries in the Global Health Security Index for 2021."
While praising the federal government for establishing the BHCPF, Mr. Tambuwal emphasized that the momentum toward making the fund a reality should not be slowed.
He assured the government and the FMOH that the fund would be managed transparently and accountablely by states, but added that disbursement by the forum would be based on the performance of the recipient states.
"As governors, we continue to prioritize health, with a focus on building a resilient healthcare platform committed to routine immunization and total polio eradication in the country."
In his remarks, Mr Ehanire echoed the governor's concerns about brain drain, noting that the country graduates 3000 medical doctors each year.
According to the minister, 1000 people leave the country each year.
He stated that this was despite the federal government's efforts to create more space for these personnel to work in the face of rising demands for higher pay.
"Among the medical doctors, those who are less likely to stay in the country and have little incentive to do so are experienced consultants."
"They are the ones we are most concerned about because training them costs a lot of money and it is difficult to meet their expectations."
The minister urged other state governors to do the same.