Worried by the shortage of doctors and other health workers as a result of brain drain and popular japa syndrome, the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has requested the Federal Government to lift embargo on employment.
Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, which spoke on behalf of the national body, said the major challenges faced as a result of brain drain had caused shortage of doctors and other health professionals, overstretcing the medical and health workers.
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Foluke Fasola, a medical doctor and Chairman MDCAN UCH, speaking at a press conference to herald this year’s annual general meeting of the Association in Ibadan, stated that a lot of medical professionals were leaving the Country in droves due to poor remuneration, harsh work environment, lack of clinical facilities to work with.
She said, “A doctor that is probably to attend to 14 to 15 patients is now attending to 50 patients. It becomes very stressful and demanding for that doctor.
“It’s certain that the doctor will be burnt out. When at the ward, you expect to see a nurse to assist you. Maybe there are only one or two nurses in the ward with so many patients, so that the nurse is not available to know what the doctor expects from the patients.
“All these impacts the patient, and it’s important that we get this addressed. So, the solutions is to improve the remuneration of the healthcare workers. Then I know that there are healthcare workers outside who need employment but are not being employed.
“We were understaffed due to embargo on employment.”
Fasola however stated “we seek from the Government resources to incorporate advanced technology into our practice.”
Talking about the achievements by UCH- MDCAN, Fasola said, “We give out some funds to sponsor a student initiative. We have been doing that for the past three years.
“We sponsor at least two indigent students per year (a medical and dental student). We earmarked an amount for that, but the College of Medicine determines who is qualified for the sponsorship.”
The chairman thereafter stated that some members of the Association had been deregistered, some suspended, and others struck out of MDCAN list, due to ignorance of law.
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Explaining the rationale behind the theme of the event entitled, “The Doctor and the Rule of Law,” Fasola said it was tailored to addressing medico-legal issues members of the Association faced while carrying out their duties, with a view to protecting them from avoidable litigations.
“From time immemorial, when there are cases of malpractices, misconduct, and negligence, doctors have been tried at MDCAN, and some have been taken to Court. And these issues are likely to increase because of certain reasons, and I have talked about overwork as a principal reason why many people can be so fatigued to make mistakes, and not being able to pay attention to details.”
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