By Promise Eze
Nigerian doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors have rejected the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to make it compulsory for graduates in medical and dental fields to render services within Nigeria for five years before being granted full licence.
It could be recalled that the sponsor of the motion, Ganiyu Johnson (APC/Lagos), said the move was to check the mass exodus of medical professionals from the country.
The legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M379, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Mandate Any Nigeria Trained Medical or Dental Practitioner to Practice in Nigeria for a Minimum of Five Years Before Granted a Full License by the Council in Order to Make Quality Health Services Available to Nigeria; and for Related Matters.’
Leading the debate on the bill, Johnson noted that the amendment was “in order to make quality health services available to Nigerians considering the growing trend of the Nigeria population and the current emigration rate of the Nigerian-trained medical and dental practitioners abroad.”
He added, “Nigeria currently has only 24,000 licensed medical doctors available in the country, less than 10 per cent of the number needed to meet the World Health Organisation recommendation.
“Now, only one doctor is available to treat 30,000 patients in some southern states, while in the North, it is one doctor to 45,000 patients.”
The President, Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Emeka Orji, described the bill as anti-people, demanding that it should be withdrawn.
Orji said, “Some people want to cause trouble for this government before they leave. NARD is averse to such anti-people bill and it is unfortunate that an honourable member will be thinking about that. That is selfishness.
“Have they come up with bills to stop public officials from seeking medical services abroad at taxpayers’ expense? They will not do that because it is affecting them directly and instead of addressing the root causes of brain drain, they are going to the symptom, and that is totally unacceptable.
“We know that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is someone that reasons a lot and we intend to reach out to him, that bill needs to be withdrawn. The thing is causing a lot of agitation already all over the country, and nobody should be allowed to cause a crisis for this regime that is about to end.”
