Doctors in Nigeria have rejected a proposal by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, for physicians trained in Nigeria to work in the country for at least nine years before being allowed to migrate.
This is just as Sunday PUNCH observed that the number of Nigerian doctors practising in the United Kingdom had hit 8, 983 as of Saturday and is likely to hit 9,000 this week.
Ngige had during the 2022 budget defence of his ministry at the House of Representatives earlier in the week lamented the effect of brain drain on the health sector in relation to the low cost of medical education in the country.
According to the minister, medical workers trained by the government should be made to sign a bond that would make them serve the country for at least nine years before they can consider relocating to another country.
He had said, “Medical education in Nigeria is almost free. Where else in the world is it free? The Presidential Committee on Health should come with a proposal for bonding doctors, nurses, medical laboratory scientists and other health workers so that they don’t just carry their bags and walk out of their country at will when they are trained at no cost.
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“In London, it is £45,000 a session for medical education in universities. If you go to Edinburgh or Oxford, you pay $80,000. If you go to the USA you pay $45,000 but if you go to the Ivy leagues, you pay $90,000 for only tuition, excluding lodging. You do it for six years. So, people in America take loans.
“We can make provisions for loans and you pay back. If the government will train you for free, we should bond you. You serve the country for nine years before you go anywhere.”
But the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors on Saturday faulted Ngige’s plan.
The immediate past president of MDCAN and a member of the National Executive Council of the Association, Prof. Ken Ekilo, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH faulted Ngige’s proposal about the bond.
According to Ekilo, lots of factors contribute to the brain drain being reported in the country and creating bonds won’t solve them.
He stated, “The minister’s suggestion shows a poor appreciation of the forces at play concerning brain drain in Nigeria. The Nigerian work environment is hostile to the medical doctors and the Nigerian security situation is hostile to Nigerian citizens. Infrastructure is poor, equipment is obsolete, drugs and supplies are out of stock, and the personnel are few, overworked and underpaid.
“There is no sense of job satisfaction, professional growth or commensurate financial reward. These are the push factors, the salaries being offered by the destination countries are irresistible, in addition to perks such as paid holidays, free education for children, sponsorship for training, conferences, and workshops all within the context of a stable society with functional social amenities. These are the pull factors.
“The idea of bonding doctors alone is faulty on several fronts. First, it is not only doctors that are trained at public expense, so the bond will have to be required of anyone who has passed through the public education system in Nigeria.”
He argued that the policy would send the wrong signal to workers, as it will indicate a failure of ideas on the part of government and a resort to coercion reminiscent of countries lacking in social liberty.
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The doctor argued the policy would encourage emigration through the backdoor and other illegal means would boom as would human trafficking.
“Lastly, the government cannot implement this without infringing on both the doctors’ fundamental human rights and the freedom guaranteed to citizens under the Nigerian constitution. I sympathise with the government, it is not an easy problem to solve and difficult decisions must be made,” Ekilo added.
Also, the National President of the Guild of Medical Directors, Prof. Olufemi Babalola, in a separate interview with Sunday PUNCH said the minister should not propose the idea of a bond seeing as he had said during an interview a while ago that there was no brain drain.
Babalola added, “This is not the way to curb brain drain in the country. I seem to recall that it was this same minister who said there was no brain drain some time ago. The fact that he is proposing this solution would suggest an acknowledgment on the part of the government that we do have a serious crisis on our hands.”
According to him, the average medical graduate seeks greener pastures abroad, not because they do not prefer to stay at home but because conditions are atrocious and salaries are scandalously low for the skill set they possess.
“A medical doctor in government employment in Nigeria today cannot afford to buy a new car. Not even a foreign-used car. That is the extent to which doctors have been debased in Nigeria. Let us address the issues and make the situation much more attractive and they will stay to serve their motherland. You can’t force them,” Babalola said.
The President, Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja chapter, Dr Azeez Ojekunle, said Ngige’s statement would increase the rate of brain drain in the country.
“We were looking forward to having a panacea for the long-standing massive brain drain, but quite unfortunate that response from such a stakeholder will only inevitably worsen the exodus in a rather geometric pattern.
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“Such proportion will cause exodus in the early medical career path which currently is more among practising medical doctors and will then progress to medical students who glaringly see the deplorable state of practising environment in the health care sector.
“Even right now, final year medical students are begging to write examination to exit the country as soon as upon completion of their housemanship,” Ojekunle said.
But the Joint Health Sector Union, which comprises all medical professionals who are not doctors, argued that the proposed policy ought not to apply to its members because only doctors received subsidised education.
The spokesperson for JOHESU, Olumide Akintayo, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH said only medical doctors enjoyed the subsidised medical education mentioned by the minister and should have no problem with the proposed bond.
He said, “It is only doctors who enjoy that privilege of subsidised medical education. It is not okay for the minister to include other health workers.”
Recently, there has been a surge in the number of medical doctors leaving the country.
Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH observed that the number of Nigerian doctors in the UK had risen to 8,983 and is expected to surpass 9,000 this week going by the daily rate of four Nigerian doctors being licensed in the UK per day.
Checks by our correspondent showed that at least 264 doctors had been licensed by the UK General Medical Council in the last 53 days, an average of 4.6 Nigerian doctors per day.
A check on the website of the council showed that as regards the number of foreign doctors working in the UK, Nigeria comes third, only behind India and Pakistan which have 30,388 and 15, 962 doctors respectively operating in the UK.
The statistics also showed that between November 13, 2020, and November 12, 2021, the number of Nigerian-trained doctors in the UK had risen by 932.
Punch
Measles outbreak kills 42 in northern Nigerian state
The Adamawa State Government confirmed on Friday evening that 42 individuals have tragically succumbed to a measles outbreak.
Felix Tangwame, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, disclosed this somber update, specifying that the fatalities occurred in Mubi and Gombi local government areas.
Addressing reporters following a state executive council meeting at the Government House, Yola, Tangwame detailed the extent of the outbreak. He revealed that eight wards in Mubi and seven wards in Gombi were affected by the measles outbreak, resulting in the loss of 42 lives out of 131 and 177 affected individuals, respectively, in the mentioned LGAs.
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In response to the crisis, all local government areas in the state have been placed on red alert as a precautionary measure to prevent further spread.
Tangwame emphasized the promptness of his ministry’s response upon receiving reports of the outbreak, attributing their ability to manage the situation effectively to swift action. He assured that both the government and development partners are actively engaged in addressing the situation.
Nido infant milk neither registered nor sold in Nigeria – NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Sunday declared that the Nido infant milk formula, alleged to contain sugar or honey, was not registered and sold in Nigeria.
The director-general of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known in a statement obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
Mr Adeyeye said the attention of NAFDAC’s Management was drawn to an online publication alleging that one of the worlds largest consumer goods company added sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases.
It stated that the online publication of April 17, 2024 was being circulated widely to the general public.
Mr Adeyeye said the report further stated that samples of baby food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America were tested and results revealed that sugar and honey were added in form of sucrose in samples of Nido and Cerelac.
“The Management of NAFDAC wishes to use this medium to reassure the public that the Agency exercises due regulatory diligence in the registration of infant and young children foods distributed and used in Nigeria.
“This is in line with relevant Codex Alimentarius international food standards (Codex) and more specifically, Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS).
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“This is applicable to all categories of infant and young children foods distributed by manufacturers, importers, and marketers of infant and young children foods operating within Nigeria.
“Regarding the mention of Nido follow-up milk formula in the publication, NAFDAC wishes to state that the product is not registered in Nigeria, is not known to the Agency and is not in circulation in Nigeria,” she stated.
According to Ms Adeyeye, the range of Nestle Cerelac infant cereals distributed in Nigeria are duly registered with NAFDAC in line with the Nigerian Industrial Standard for Foods for Infants and Young Children.
“Processed Cereal Based foods (NIS 256:2010) and the Codex Standard for Processed Cereal-based Foods for Infants and Young Children (CXS 74-1981 was adopted in 1981, revised in 2006, amended in 2017, 2019, and 2023), as well as the applicable NAFDAC regulations for compliance with safety, quality, and labelling requirements.
“Adequate, optimal nutrition during infancy and early childhood is essential to ensure the growth, health, and development of children to their full potential.
“The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) implements the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, developing international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice with the mandate to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair international food trade.
“Nigeria (NAFDAC) is an active participant at these international food standards setting arena to contribute Nigerians positions during food standards development,” it said.
According to the statement, the Agency, on March 22 held a stakeholders engagement with members of the Association of Infant Food Manufacturers and Marketers in Nigeria, AIFMN, anchored by the Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FSAN, Directorate, to further drive home the importance and special place of infant and young child nutrition.
Adeyeye reassured the public that the Agency was fully alive to her responsibilities of assuring the safety, wholesomeness and quality of infant and young children foods offered for sale in Nigeria in compliance with the relevant standards and regulations.
NAN
5 reasons men need to eat pineapple before sexual intercourse
Sex ought to be an enjoyable activity, but many factors can get in the way of such enjoyment. Factors like low libido, lack of stamina, and erections can prevent such enjoyment. That’s why pineapples are so important. Many people believe it only benefits women, but it has many sexual benefits for men.
Pineapples are rich in manganese, an antioxidant that fights free radicals and prevents cellular damage. A manganese deficiency can lead to diseases like heart disease and diabetes, which are linked to erectile dysfunction. However, adequate manganese intake can increase blood flow and prevent infertility.
Pineapples are rich in bromelain, which increases testosterone production and provides many sexual benefits in bed. This hormone regulates libido and encourages nitric oxide oxidation which makes men more sexually active.
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Pineapples are also rich in vitamin C and thiamine which can increase low libido in men. Thiamine stimulates the development of sex hormones, and this is especially important when men can’t have an erection during sex.
Pineapple can help increase sexual stamina, especially for those who find themselves exhausted from sex. Sex requires endurance and stamina, with studies showing men can burn up to 101 calories in 30 minutes of sex. To enjoy bedroom fun without exercising, consider indulging in pineapples, which are rich in vitamins B1 and C, which can help increase sexual stamina.
Pineapple consumption before sex can enhance the taste of ejaculate by making it sweeter. This is due to the high levels of acid and sugar in pineapple, which make semen less bitter and more sweet. The primary benefit for partners is the added sweetness, in case they want to taste it.
Raw pineapple, rich in vitamin C, is an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system and prevents inflammation. Studies on rats have linked reduced inflammation to improved blood flow, which is important for sexual health.
This is because healthy blood flow is essential for achieving sexual arousal and erectile function for penetrative sex. This increased blood flow and higher blood pressure within the penis make the penis firm and erect.
Finally, a cup of pineapple or one pineapple finely chopped is enough; do not eat more than that, as it will have the opposite effect.
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