Key highlights
- Minister says the intention is good because it is talking about curbing the brain drain of doctors.
- Medical students are being subsidized about one-tenth or one-twentieth of the cost of a private university.
- Bill has already passed the second reading.
Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said the bill to ensure medical graduates work for a period of five years before leaving Nigeria comes with good intentions.
He disclosed this in an interview on Friday with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He added that the fees we pay at our universities, definitely do not make up for the cost of training.
Good intentions
The Minister of Health, Dr proposed in a bill by the House of Representatives with good intention, mandates any Nigeria-trained Medical or Dental Practitioner to Practice in Nigeria for a minimum of five years before being granted a full license by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and was passed for second reading on April 6, the report said:
- “According to Ehanire, the intention is good because it is talking about curbing the brain drain of doctors.
- “if I can read the mind of Johnson properly, he wants to be able to keep those who have studied
here a bit longer for some time before they can be free to go. - “If you look at the fact that the fees we pay at our universities, definitely do not make up for the cost of training.
- “If you want to know what it costs to train a doctor, go to a private university and know what they pay for school fees.
Subsidy
The Minister noted that students are being subsidized about one-tenth or one-twentieth of the cost of a private university, adding:
- “That is a benchmark of what it costs but in our public universities, we don’t pay anything near that.
- “So, actually, it means that it is subsidized with taxpayers’ money because if the government allows you to get training for about one-tenth or one-twentieth of the cost of the private university, then it means it is subsidized.
- “Therefore, I’m sure Ganiyu was thinking about those in that category who should also give back to the country, having received classy education that is respected outside.
- “This is because even the cost of training here is very small compared to school fees paid in foreign countries to become a doctor. I think this is the angle the representative was looking at the issue from.”
He added that it may not necessarily have to be by law because moral understanding is also
clear if one has received a quality education and then gives back to the sponsor, and that he thinks the same moral issue people have to look at is whether the bill goes through or not.
Backstory
The House of Rep member, who sponsored a bill to ban Nigerian doctors from leaving Nigeria, before working for five years said the bill was necessitated by the crisis in Nigeria’s health sector.
Rep. Abdulganiyu Johnson (APC-Lagos) revealed the bill was sponsored as a response to the rising manpower crisis in Nigeria’s health sector, he adds the bill was not meant to prevent anyone from traveling abroad and also not an attempt to impede human rights.
Media reports state that the bill seeking to mandate Nigeria-trained medical and dental practitioners to practice for a minimum of five years in the country before being granted full license passed the second reading in the House of Representatives on April 6, he said:
- “Our population is more than 200 million and the number of medical doctors we have is about 10,000. If care is not taken may be herbalists will have to take over and be treating our people.
- “We have a crisis already and how do we mitigate it? Let us increase the number of years they (doctors) will get their licenses and this is not to stop them from traveling abroad.
- “The five years include their national service and housemanship period, which amounts to three years and it is a way of promoting professionalism. You can register for your residency and engage in hospital services.