Stop the doctors’ bill

The nation is awashed with the news of a bill that seeks to stop doctors from practising abroad until they put in five years of service after graduation. The bill is said to have passed for second reading in the House of Representatives. According to the sponsor of the bill, Ganiyu Johnson, the bill when […]

The nation is awashed with the news of a bill that seeks to stop doctors from practising abroad until they put in five years of service after graduation.

The bill is said to have passed for second reading in the House of Representatives. According to the sponsor of the bill, Ganiyu Johnson, the bill when passed into law will checkmate the mass exodus of doctors abroad.

However, such law is not only obnoxious and negates the fundamental human right and freedom of movement of citizens, it is also against labour laws.

There have been historic disputes between the government and the health workers in matters pertaining to welfare of health workers and the infrastructural deficit in the health sector leading to strikes and health workers down tooling. Despite the several resolutions reached between health workers and the government, there is no evidence to show improvement in the health sector.

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The federal government has also failed to implement its own policies that have potentials for crystallising growth and development in the health sector. Working documents like the National Health Policies, the SDGS and the National Health Insurance Law have been haphazardly implemented.

These issues should be the major focus of the legislators rather than introducing a bill that will further deepen the problems of Nigeria medical practitioners.

I believe that every professional who has gone through academic training for the stipulated period in accordance to his or her profession and has passed all required courses to obtain a degree in the profession is qualified for a certificate. In the case of the medical and law profession, the compulsory one year houseman ship or law school, as the case may be, exposes such students to practical assessment that qualifies them to receive a practicing license.  It is the right of the licensed practitioner to determine where he or she chooses to practice the profession.

If the bill becomes a law and the health challenges that make doctors leave Nigeria are not swiftly tackled, it would further complicate the problems in the health sector. First, it would give rise to a handful of unmotivated health workers who are only trying to please the government for such a period of time and deliver such eye service treatment to their patients; such dispassionate treatments can expose patients to the risk of losing their lives.

The bill does not pass logical and legal tests and can be challenged under the labour laws, I therefore propose that the bill should not be given any further attention.

To solve brain drain in the medical sector, the federal government should continue to liaise with the leadership of the health workers to determine the challenges in the health sector and work together with them to improve the welfare of the health workers. Government should create an enabling environment for health workers by providing necessary health infrastructure and facilities that would motivate health workers. More Nigerians should be encouraged to take up medicine as their course of study and be offered immediate employment opportunities upon satisfactory performance from medical school.

Victor Emejuiwe, Programmes Manager, Centre for Social Justice, Abuja