Abayomi disclosed this at the ongoing 2024 Clean-Air Forum in Lagos.

The commissioner decried the negative effect of brain drain in the health sector, stating that the gap between the available doctor to patient ratio has been overstretched.

He emphasized the importance of getting more medical doctors to cater for the increasing need of medical services in the state.

He said, “Lagos annual population growth rate of six to eight per cent comes with huge challenges and the health sector is not an exception.

“Lagos because of its daily increasing population has a complex tuberculosis index and the state is making a whole lot of impact in this area to mitigate its spread.

“The promotion of air quality and the need to halt environmental pollution in the state is where the collaborative efforts of the agencies are needed.

“As a government, the state will continue to support every effort to sanitise the air in the city in order to reduce rate of air born, water diseases that bear negative on the health of the residents.’’

Speaking on the shortage of bed spaces in state health centres, Abayomi said the state would construct modern facilities in various areas and establish a medical research institution.

The commissioner noted that the development would bridge the doctor to patient gap within 18 months to give the public desired service.

This plea comes at a time when there is a growing trend of medical professionals leaving the country, resulting in an unfavorable patient-doctor ratio in Nigeria’s health sector.

Speaking in Abuja during the induction ceremony conducted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Minister Alausa, represented by his special adviser, Ismaila Adiatu, emphasized the government’s commitment to creating a conducive environment for medical practice.

He assured the graduates of improvements in infrastructure, working conditions, and salaries, urging them to resist the temptation to leave.

“Don’t japa. Stay behind and help your country. We will provide an enabling environment for you to practice and be satisfied. We will improve the infrastructure, the conditions and the salary. Please don’t go; even if for your parents and your relatives, stay behind so that the field is not left for quacks,” Alausa urged.

The guest lecturer, Prof. Christie Mato, acting Vice Chancellor of Pamo University of Medical Sciences in Port Harcourt, stressed the significant responsibilities associated with the title of medical doctor.

Mato highlighted the importance of humility, respect, and sensitivity in the behavior of medical professionals, advising the new doctors to embody these qualities in their practice.

The registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Tajudeen Sanusi, also addressed the inductees, emphasizing the importance of compassion in the medical profession.

He urged them to be prepared to practice medicine anywhere in the country while emphasizing their commitment to ongoing learning and development.

The circular signed by the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office, Olufemi Oloruntoba, for the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation read partly, “I am directed to refer to the above-mentioned memorandum presented at the 44th National Council on Establishment held from 5th-9th December 2022, in Yola, Adamawa State requesting a review of the current retirement age of Medical/Dental Consultants and other health professionals from 60 to 70 and 75 respectively.

“After careful consideration of the memorandum, the council rejected the request based on the following: Professionals in the health sector were leaving the country because of pecuniary consideration and unfavourable conditions of service and not as a result of retirement age.

“Some state government had already increased the retirement age of medical doctors and other health workers and this has not addressed the spate of brain drain.”

It also said it was dissatisfied with health workers’ attitude to work, noting that in spite of efforts by the government to encourage health workers, the exodus of health workers had not abated.

“Council, however, approved that clinical health workers who have attained the compulsory retirement age/years may be given contract appointment on the same salary scale level that they retired on if desired and deserved.

“Government should engage the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Medical Association to extract some level of commitment from medical doctors.

“To address the observed dissatisfaction with the attitude of health workers to work, there is a need to institutionalise an effective performance management system in the public service in order to improve the work ethics of the medical officers and consultant, and medical doctors should show more patriotism in the discharge of their duties and avoid holding the system to ransom,” it added.

Consequently, the FMoH in its circular urged all executives of agencies, Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors, and Heads of Regulatory Bodies and Schools to ensure strict compliance with the directive from the OHCSF.

The circular signed by the Deputy of Appointment, Promotion and Discipline, Daloba Paul Edward for the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, was referenced C.4007/T.2/37.

The association had initially planned to commence the protest on August 9, 2023.

Dr. Emeka Orji, NARD’s National President, confirmed the suspension of the protest, stating that the government requested 24 hours to address their urgent demands.

Dr. Orji revealed that despite challenges in convincing members to accept the government’s proposals, NARD has decided to grant the Nigerian government a 72-hour window for resolving the issues.

The association expressed hope that the government would honor its commitments within the stipulated timeframe.

Following meetings with the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, assured the doctors that the administration of President Bola Tinubu would address their demands.

Akpabio appreciated the decision to cancel the planned protest and emphasized the administration’s commitment to the medical practitioners’ concerns.

The ongoing strike by resident doctors stems from unmet demands, including the disbursement of the 2023 medical residency training fund, issuance of the circular on one-for-one replacement, adjustments to the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS), payment of outstanding arrears, hazard allowance, and skipping allowance.

The doctors had initially intended to commence a peaceful nationwide protest on August 9, 2023.

According to a letter dated July 26, 2023, titled “Accoutrement allowance for medical and dental doctors in hospitals, medical centres, and clinics in federal MDAs” signed by Ekpo Nta, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, the approved allowance is set to be paid quarterly to eligible Medical and Dental Doctors from the overhead budget.

The implementation of this approval commenced on June 1, 2023, and any inquiries related to this matter should be directed to the Commission.

It’s worth noting that the issuance of this circular concerning the allowance coincides with the ongoing indefinite strike initiated by members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors.

In a recent interview with The PUNCH, the President of NARD, Dr. Emeka Oji, stated that doctors were seeking approximately a 500 per cent salary increase from the government.

During a meeting at the National Assembly complex in Abuja with the National Association of Resident Doctors, Abbas expressed his concern over the potential strike.

He highlighted that the government’s limited revenues may not fully meet all the association’s demands but emphasized the need to find a middle ground that satisfies both parties without disregarding the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding.

The resident doctors have presented various demands, including the recruitment of clinical staff in hospitals, infrastructural development, allocating at least 15% of budgetary provisions to health, prompt payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund, and an immediate increment in the consolidated medical salary structure by 200% of doctors’ gross salary.

While acknowledging the doctors’ faith in the government’s ability to address the issues, Abbas urged them to exercise patience while an amicable resolution is sought.

He highlighted that the new administration is still in the process of settling down, with ministers yet to assume office.

In the interest of finding a resolution, Abbas requested the resident doctors to suspend their impending industrial action to allow for further intervention and discussions.

Following his speech, the meeting proceeded behind closed doors to delve further into the matter.

In an interview in his office, Dr Archibong said the huge disparity in salaries of doctors working in federal tertiary medical institutions as well as the lack of incentives have enticed doctors in the state employ to leave in droves.

Archibong said, “We are telling the government to make the salaries of state and federal doctors equal. That way, it will go a long way to stem the ugly tide.”

“The doctors need to be trained and retrained. They should be given commensurate salaries with their counterparts in federal service quickly so that the few remaining doctors left in the employ of the state will not be overworked.

Archibong also spoke on patients’ fatality as well as limited health facilities in the state.

He called for the establishment of a state teaching hospital in parts of the state, saying people take the risk of travelling upwards of eight hours to access tertiary medical institutions in Calabar.

“Cross River is very large. This distance is affecting patients, who sometimes die on their way to the tertiary hospitals in Calabar.

“When patients travel that far on a bad road as we have here, some even die en route to tertiary facilities, especially on referrals.

“So state teaching hospitals should be established in Ogoja and Ikom, to cater for patients from those distance districts.”

The number excludes consultants and other medical professionals, according to Dr. Innocent Orji, national president of NARD.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, which marked the conclusion of a three-day National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Uyo with the theme “Improved Welfare of Healthcare Workers: A Panacea for Brain Drain (Political and Doctors’ Perspectives),” the President revealed that, according to a study the organization carried out in September 2022, 800 resident doctors left the country from January to August.

The implication, according to him, was that 100 resident doctors left Nigeria each month.

Orji noted that the exodus of doctors to foreign countries had continued to weigh down the healthcare delivery and service in Nigeria as one doctor is expected to take care of over 10,000 patients without a commensurate welfare package.

The President lamented the terrible working and living conditions of health professionals in Nigeria and demanded proper pay and infrastructure improvements in hospitals nationwide to slow the rate of brain drain.

In accordance with the 2001 Abuja Declaration for healthcare financing in Africa and international best practices, he also called for a 15% yearly budgetary commitment for the healthcare sector.

The President encouraged the federal government to guarantee that the causes of doctors leaving the country are addressed while also calling for a study of the bureaucratic obstacles in the hiring of doctors for easy employment.

According to him, “We did a study in September last year and we came up with facts that in a two year period, we lost 2000 resident doctors. From January to August of 2022, we lost 800 doctors that is to say we lose 100 doctors every month. I always say, as politicians are playing politics they should also pay attention to governance because it will come to a time when they will finish elections in February and March, and come back to find out that there are no doctors again.

“Even though we have a massive shortage of doctors, the truth is that we still have doctors in the street looking for employment but bureaucracy in the system is a major problem. We know that bureaucracy in government is to follow due process and so on but there should be a point to review whatever that is on ground to see whether it is working or not, there must be a mechanism for replacing clinical staff, who are leaving the hospital.

“Even if you do that, it is not going to solve the problem but will help to reduce it because people who are leaving are highly skilled doctors, even if you employ new people, before they would attain to that level of competence and training, it will take time, so the best thing is to address the reason doctors are emigrating.

“The reason doctors are leaving is not only for remuneration, they need housing schemes, car loan schemes and other things that even the government does not necessarily need to spend its money on, what it needs to do is just to midwife the process and get in private investors who would fund that.

“Another reason doctors are leaving is because of poor infrastructure. It is very disheartening that as a doctor, you know what to do to save the life of your patient and you end up losing the patient because of lack of infrastructure. If it happens overtime, you run into depression, this is not a joke, and the next thing you have to do is to move away and go to a better system. If the government wants to address this, there is no shortcut to it, it can address it.”

Orji also said that NEC at their resolution urged the National Assembly to make laws protecting healthcare workers, adding that the Chief Medical Directors of tertiary hospitals should take responsibility for security in their various hospitals as NARD would no longer continue to watch her members being assaulted by staff, patients relatives or security operatives.

He added that NEC called on the federal government, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and all stakeholders to prevail on the governors of Abia, Ondo and Ekiti to urgently pay arrears of salaries and allowances owed its members, which according to him that of Abia State has reached 25 months arrears.

NARD said the unresolved issues are threatening industrial peace and harmony in the health sector.

This is according to a statement by its President, Emeka Innocent Orji, addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha; and the Department of State Services, DSS.

NARD appreciated the government for its efforts in resolving some of the issues raised but asked that attention be given to other pending issues.

The body recalled issuing an ultimatum to the Federal Government six months ago on account of lingering unresolved issues affecting our members, including the irregularities in the new circular on the upward review of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), outstanding payment of the arrears of the new hazard allowance, nonpayment of the skipping arrears for 2014, 2015 and 2016, nonpayment of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to some of our members, and delay in the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure(CONMESS).

Others are Salary arrears of our members in State Tertiary Health Institutions running into several months, including Abia, Imo, Ondo, Ekiti and Gombe States, and non-domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) in most states across the Federation.

The statement reads: “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the government through its ministries, departments and agencies in resolving some of the issues raised.

“However, many of them remain largely unresolved and have now become sources of serious nationwide agitation threatening industrial peace and harmony in the health sector.

“Sir, our January 2023 National Executive Council meeting has been scheduled for January 24th to 28th 2023, and we can confirm very clearly that if these issues are not sorted out before that meeting, our members will likely give us a mandate to immediately kick-start processes that will lead to a nationwide industrial disharmony in the health sector.

“Sir, we know how critical this period is and the chaos that will ensue if the government does not take steps to prevent this from happening, and so we humbly implore you to use your good offices to resolve these issues before our January NEC meeting.

“Sir, we trust in your fatherly disposition and believe that you will come to our aid and save this nation from this imminent industrial disharmony.”

NARD listed other unsolved issues to include, the Omitted 2020 MRTF payment, irregularities in the new MRTF circular inconsistent with the Medical Residency Training Act, existing Collective Bargaining Agreements and current economic realities and the review of CONMESS salary Structures

This direction follows the suspension of the resident doctors 9 weeks strike in the nation.

NARD’s President, Dr Dare Godiya Ishaya, made this announcement in Abuja on Monday while briefing reporters.

He explained that the association took the decision to suspend the industrial action due to a simple majority vote of members at a meeting held on Sunday.

Ishaya, however, stated that the strike has been suspended for six weeks to allow the Federal Government to address the issues raised by the doctors.

He said while most of the issues that led to the nationwide strike still remained unaddressed, the association decided to suspend the action for the period because of interventions from the President, the National Assembly, and the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).