‘I was misquoted’ – Chris Ngige clarifies statement on Nigerian medical doctors

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has clarified his position on the issue of migration by Nigerian medical doctors to foreign nations, saying that he was misquoted.

Recall that the Minister came under serious attack yesterday after he stated in his interview with Channels TV that Nigeria has surplus doctors and that any medical doctor that wants to leave Nigeria should do so. 

In a statement signed by Nwachukwu Obidiwe, his Special Assistant on Media, Ngige described the controversies that had trailed his comment as unnecessary, calling for a deeper understanding of the issue in question.

“I speak from the vantage position of being a medical doctor and member, Nigerian Medical Association since June, 1979 and enriched by my vast knowledge on health administration. Having retired as a Deputy Director, Medical Services and Training from the Federal Ministry of Health in 1998, member of Vision 2010 Committee on Health as well as senior member, Senate Committee on Health 2011-2015.

“Therefore, the truth no matter how it hurts, must be told and reality, boldly faced. Hence, apart from Nigeria’s non-compliance with the World Health Organisation’s ratio of one doctor to six hundred patients of which I was misquoted. Every other thing I said in that interview is an existential reality, useful and constructive facts which every Nigerian that watched the full interview will hardly dispute.

“I invite opinion moulders especially those who have spoken or written on this issue to watch the full clip of my interview with the channels. And it is for this reason that I admitted having a little cause to worry about brain drain among medical doctors.

“The fact is that while the Federal Government has recorded a remarkably steady improvement in our healthcare system, Nigeria is yet to get there,” Ngige said

The minister added that Nigeria did not at present, have enough health facilities to accommodate all the doctors seeking to do tertiary specialist training (residency) in the teaching hospitals, federal medical centres and few accredited state and private specialist centres in the country.

He also noted that roughly 20 per cent of the yearly applicants were being absorbed while the remaining 80 per cent tried their luck elsewhere. He, however, noted that most of these rejected applicants usually throng the Federal Ministry of Health and that of Labour and Employment to complain of being illegally schemed out.

The statement explained further that what the minister meant was that these professionals had the right to seek training abroad to sharpen their skills and become specialists.

“They later turn this problem to a national advantage when they repatriate their legitimate earnings and later return to the country. Even where some of these doctors are bonded to their overseas training institutions, examples abound on the large number of them who have successfully returned to settle and establish specialist centres across the country. It is, therefore, a question of turning your handicap to an advantage” the minister said

He said the situation was not peculiar to Nigeria, as countries like Pakistan, Ceylon, Bangledesh exported teachers to secondary schools in the old Eastern and Northern Regions in the 60’s and 70’s when their earnings were also repatriated to their countries.

He further stated that the Ministry of Labour and Employment had a migration policy, developed with the European Union to assist skilled Nigerians to work and earn decent living abroad.

He also noted that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora had done a lot of work in encouraging Nigerian professionals abroad to return.

He also noted that a good number of doctors were relocating from the United States and other European countries.

“Luckily, the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and Employment is developing a federal assisted programme for these young doctors and other allied health professionals such as pharmacists, physiotherapists in a move to broaden training opportunities. It again asserted that Nigeria has enough medical personnel to man non-specialist centres in the rural areas,’’ he said

He regretted that the major problem was the refusal of young doctors to work in the hinterland.

“Even the National Youth Service Corps doctors, all, today seek postings to the cities as against what obtained some decades ago. Besides, doctors who did not get the few vacancies in the tertiary centres especially those owned by the Federal Government find it difficult to work in the rural hospitals.

But the truth is that the Federal Government has in its 2019 Budget now before the National Assembly, implemented the Health Act provisions for one per cent of the consolidated revenue of the Federation to be added to the health budget to boost medical services. 

This, especially at the grassroots in partnership with the state governments who are expected to make a five per cent counterpart contribution,” he said

He, therefore, said the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) State chapters and National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had a duty to campaign and persuade State governments to devote more funds to healthcare.

He added that doctors’ union was not only for the purpose of personal aggrandisement, or asking for more emoluments and urging members to go on strike.

“Therefore, while the Federal Government, indeed, government at all levels strive to meet up with the World Health ratio of one doctor to five hundred patients. We appeal to the Nigerian Medical Association to prevail on its members to serve in the rural areas.

That the Federal Government has an on-going programme that will in near future, revive and revitalise all the basic health centres in all the wards across the federation,’’ he said.