Sacking doctors ‘will lead to brain drain’

The scribe of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and editor-in-chief of the Nigeria Medical Journal, Professor Francis Uba, has described the sacking of resident doctors by the federal government as a ‘pure assault’ on the association.

He said it would only encourage Nigerian doctors to leave the country, thereby worsening brain drain in the medical profession.

Speaking with TheCable on Friday, Uba said that the government was trying to get back at the NMA because of the strike it has refused to suspend.

“About 67% of the workforce of hospitals are resident doctors. There are 27,000 doctors serving 170 million people in Nigeria. Out of that number, 16,000 are resident doctors. Where will the government get other doctors to supplement for the sacked doctors?” he said.

The NMA scribe who is also a member of the highest decision making body of the association said the negative impact of the government’s action was grave.

“Think about the brain drain this will cause. There are more 4,000 Nigerian doctors in the United Kingdom. And there are thousands of Nigerian doctors in the United States. The government has simply worsened the brain drain of the country,” Uba said.

“The government has simply denied Nigerians medical services and specialist services because resident doctors are training to become specialists. Where will the specialist doctors come from?

“Again consultants cannot work without resident doctors. Consultants train resident doctors, and because of the government’s action the jobs of consultants are in jeopardy.”

Uba further said that the government had cut short the dreams of some doctors who would now want to abandon the country for green pasture abroad.

On Thursday, the federal government issued a notice terminating the appointment of resident doctors in the country.