RATE OF DOCTORS AND NURSES EXITING THE COUNTRY ON THE RISE – NMA

February 1, 2022.

By Ajayi Oluwaseun 

The Nigerian Medical Association has raised the alarm over the rate of medical practitioners exiting the country for greener pastures.

The NMA on Monday 31^st January disclosed that the 6% given to the health sector from the initial 15% grant that was agreed on and signed with the United Nations back in 2001 is a major factor affecting the decision of medical practitioners to exit the country.
“We cannot give a precise figure of the medical practitioners that has decided to leave the country for other countries because they were exiting Nigeria without even informing the medical body. It is really difficult to know the number of people that left. You can only get that information from statistical or data agencies.” – NMA

The NMA expressed further, said, “It depends on the political will of the Federal government to improve our health system. There are a lot of ways in financing the health sector. About tax, there was a time we discussed that beverages and sugar which cause diabetes, the companies producing them should be called to pay taxes, and also smoking tobacco and others causing lung cancer, they can place taxes on these commodities. These are health burdens; we think there should be a percentage that should be provided to fund the health sector.”

Dr. Phillips Ekpe, NMA General Secretary, in a statement with journalists. Said. “Healthcare personnel leaving in droves could cost to be terrible. That’s why NMA, Federal Ministry of Health and Labour is appealing to National Council Establishment to find some ways through policies to improve the welfare of these health workers such as the retirement age plan,”

The Nigerian Medical Association has raised the alarm over the rate of medical practitioners exiting the country for greener pastures.

The NMA on Monday 31^st January disclosed that the 6% given to the health sector from the initial 15% grant that was agreed on and signed with the United Nations back in 2001 is a major factor affecting the decision of medical practitioners to exit the country.

“We cannot give a precise figure of the medical practitioners that has decided to leave the country for other countries because they were exiting Nigeria without even informing the medical body. It is really difficult to know the number of people that left. You can only get that information from statistical or data agencies.” – NMA

The NMA expressed further, said, “It depends on the political will of the Federal government to improve our health system. There are a lot of ways in financing the health sector. About tax, there was a time we discussed that beverages and sugar which cause diabetes, the companies producing them should be called to pay taxes, and also smoking tobacco and others causing lung cancer, they can place taxes on these commodities. These are health burdens; we think there should be a percentage that should be provided to fund the health sector.”

Dr. Phillips Ekpe, NMA General Secretary, in a statement with journalists. Said. “Healthcare personnel leaving in droves could cost to be terrible. That’s why NMA, Federal Ministry of Health and Labour is appealing to National Council Establishment to find some ways through policies to improve the welfare of these health workers such as the retirement age plan,”