Five-year compulsory service for doctors will create crisis – WMA

The President of the World Medical Association, Dr Osahon Enabulele, has opposed the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to compel medical and dental graduates to render five-year compulsory services within Nigeria before being granted full licence to practise.

The bill, which passed second reading at the House of Representatives last week, aims to check the exodus of Nigerian medical professionals abroad.

But in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, the WMA President described the bill as misplaced and ill-advised, saying it should be withdrawn because it would rather worsen brain drain.

Enabulele said, “This bill shows a clear lack of understanding of the push and pulls factors buoying the crisis of brain drain in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, the region worst hit by the crisis.

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“I am shocked that rather than come up with purposive and progressive solutions on how to transparently and comprehensively address the push factors accelerating the crisis of brain drain in Nigeria, particularly through prioritised investments in the health system and the health workforce, the sponsors of the bill sought to come up with a proposition whose remedy is likely to generate a worse ailment and crisis.

“Even though it is a truism that doctors are the leaders of the health team, I find the proposition selective and discriminatory. Available statistics clearly show that all types of professionals and workers in all sectors of Nigeria, aside from the health sector, are voting with their feet outside the shores of Nigeria. Indeed, aside from the younger ones, the seniors are increasingly carried by the brain drain waves.

“I would, therefore, like to urge the sponsors of the bill to reconsider their position and withdraw the bill, as the cure it offers will undoubtedly be worse than the ailment it seeks to cure. I sincerely urge them to dwell more on how to more realistically address the push factors and build a resilient health system with a resilient health workforce.”