Gbajabiamila Decries mass movement of Doctors overseas.
Njideka Ozoalor
The Speaker, House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, has expressed dismay over the movement of over thousand resident doctors in search of greener pastures abroad.
The Speaker made his feelings known during a visit by executive of the National Association of Resident Doctors led by the President, Dr Emeka Orji at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the time had come for the government to holistically address the issues responsible for the nagetive trend when about eight hundred doctors left the shores of the country in the past month, a condition he said was unacceptable.
The Speaker explained that the issue of funding , Salaries and other emoluments must be properly looked into based on the context of the prevailing global economic solution.
He also assured the association that the clamour for an increase in the budgetary allocation for the health sector to meet the 2001 Abuja Declaration of 15 Percent of annual budget allocation to health would be looked into , being a critical sector of
the economy.
While cautioning stakeholders against the tradition of equating the Ministry’s budgetary allocation to the entire budget of the sector, Gbajabiamila gave assurance that the House would ensure that the sector was not shortchanged in the allocation of the resources to it.
The Speaker pointed out that there are so many things going on right now in the country ranging from Oil theft, dwindling revenue, the Ukraine war and so many other things and everybody’s competing for the lean revenue but maintained that education and health, are priority areas for government.
Earlier, the President Dr Emeka Orji who appreciated the Speaker and the House for successfully intervening in NARD’s issues with the government in the past, urged the speaker to intervene in the brain syndrome that had hit the medical practice in the country due to poor working conditions.
Dr Orji also presented other demands of the association on adequate funding of residency training, restorations of the Overseas Exchange Programme, the need to amend the Medical Registration Act and upward review of the salary structure for resident doctors, among others to the Speaker for consideration.
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