According to them, the UK can only define its terms as freedom of movement is a fundamental right.

The Nigerian Medical Association and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors were reacting to the UK code of practice, which listed Nigeria among 54 other countries where health workers should not be actively recruited.

The UK explained that the 54 countries were those the World Health Organisation recognised as having most pressing health and care workforce-related challenges.

The UK code read in part, “Countries on the list should not be actively targeted for recruitment by health and social care employers, recruitment organisations, agencies, collaborations, or contracting bodies unless there is a government-to-government agreement in place to allow managed recruitment undertaken strictly in compliance with the terms of that agreement.

“Countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list are graded red in the code. If a government-to-government agreement is put in place between a partner country, which restricts recruiting organisations to the terms of the agreement, the country is added to the amber list.”

Reacting to the restriction, the NMA President, Dr Uche Ojinmah, in an interview with The PUNCH said Nigerian doctors migrate to other countries because they are poorly treated by the government.

“I don’t actually begrudge the UK for recruiting Nigerian doctors because it’s the poor treatment they are getting from Nigeria that’s pushing them away. If the Nigerian government and people place a premium on Nigerians, they obviously won’t migrate.

“It is okay that the UK is placing us on the lower rungs for recruitment but what about the United States of America, Canada, Grenada, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, South Africa, Germany, etc?

“Nobody can take away the freedom of movement; it’s a fundamental right. They can only define the terms,” Ojinmah said.

Also, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Emeka Orji, said doctors can go to other countries to practise the profession.

Orji said, “The truth is that it is not only the UK that Nigerian health workers go to and even with this list, it only means that they will not only be headhunting our health workers. So, that doesn’t mean people can’t apply to work in the UK.”

The NMA president also said the restriction might not be unconnected with the Federal Government’s move to curb the brain drain in the country.

“I know that last year, the MDCN Registrar went to the GMC and the report we got that time was that they discussed how to mitigate the effect of brain drain in Nigeria.

This is purely speculative but we believe this was part of what was discussed. We can’t confirm that but it is possible,” Ojinmah added.

Some officials of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria had, in October 2022, visited the General Medical Council Office in Manchester, UK.

The officials of the MDCN on the visit were its Chairman, Prof Abba Waziri; Registrar, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, and the Head of Department, Registration, Dr Henry Okwukenye.

The General Medical Council is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom.

Parts of the tweet on MDCN’s Twitter handle @MDCNOfficial on the GMC’s visit read, “We had a lot of useful discussions amongst which is the possibility of the UK government to repatriate some funds in line with global health initiatives from Nigerian doctors who were trained with tax payers’ funds.

“Discussion around stemming the tide of brain drain also took place.”

The restriction by the UK comes amid a bill in the House of Representatives seeking to impose a five-year compulsory service on doctors as a condition to grant them full practice licence upon graduation.

The NARD’s President added that, “It’s possible the Nigerian government pushed for this (the restriction) but we have not seen any official release to that effect.”

He called on the Federal Government to improve the working condition of health workers and fund the health sector in order to discourage migration.

He explained, “The government is now complaining that there is a brain drain but we have always known this and we have been talking about it. What is now expected is that government should increase the production capacity so that even when these foreign countries come for the doctors, nurses, and other health workers, you will turn it to an advantage, improve on training, infrastructure, improve your personnel and fund health, so that you will not be complaining to foreign countries to stop encroaching on your medical workforce. What you should be doing is encouraging it as long as you have enough. That is what India did.”

The PUNCH reports that there are currently 11,055 Nigerian-trained doctors in the UK, based on statistics obtained from the GMC.

Nigeria has the third highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK after India, and Pakistan.

Apart from Nigeria, some other countries placed by the UK on the red list of ‘No active recruitment’ are Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia.

The NMA also called on the Delta State government and the Inspector-General of Police to bring the perpetrators of the murder to book.

Dr Iluobe was murdered on December 31, 2022.

The NMA, in a press statement signed by its President, Dr Uche Ojinmah, and made available to our correspondent on Monday urged the National Assembly to criminalise violence against healthcare workers in the country.

The Nigerian Medical Association received with shock and sadness the news of the murder on December 31st, 2022 of Dr Iluobe by the relatives of his patient at Oghara where his practice was based.

The above scenario being the response of the patient relatives to the loss of a patient from suspected gunshot injuries can never be justifiable and has taken violence against doctors and other healthcare workers from injuries to murder.

“It is unbelievable that in the face of a debilitating medical brain drain, the few doctors that patriotically decided to stay back and take care of our fellow citizens are being murdered by the same Nigerians.

While we sympathise with the family of the patient that was lost, we strongly condemn this murder and call on the Government of Delta State and the Inspector-General of Police to as a matter of urgency bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book so as to assuage the pain we feel. A man should not be murdered for the selfless act of being on duty on a New Year’s Eve.

“The Nigerian Medical Association uses this medium to call on the National Assembly to make a law criminalising violence against healthcare workers. Please save our souls from wanton attacks by fellow Nigerians.

“We are closely monitoring the handling of the case of Dr Uyi Iluobe’s murder and shall respond as the need arises. Enough is enough,” the statement read.

The Chairman of NMA in Plateau State, Dr Innocent Emmanuel, who confirmed the development on Monday said Buhari would serve as the special guest of honour during the conference slated to hold between April 26 and May 2, 2021.

Emmanuel said, “He and other dignitaries have accepted to come for the conference. We are prepared to host the conference in Jos and I can assure you that the different committees set up to ensure the success of the programme are working round the clock to deliver on their mandate.”

The conference with the theme, ‘Nigeria and the Global Health Agenda 2030,’ will be chaired by the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, while the former Minister of Health, Prof.Isaac Adewole will deliver the keynote address

According to the NMA chairman, other dignitaries expected at the event include the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong; Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire and the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, performed the launching in Abuja as Nigeria receives its first batch of 3.92 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID -19 vaccines on Tuesday (today).

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Uja, on Monday said that though he was not aware of the idea of registration before the vaccine, the procedure would violate the agreement of vaccinating frontline workers before any other person.

Uja explained that there was agreement that frontline workers, aged ones from 60 and above, as well as people with hypertension and liver disease, then security people were expected to take the vaccine first.

Uja said, “Then, it means it will violate the issue of frontline first; maybe they want to see the depth of acceptability of the vaccine. Maybe it is not administration. Honestly, I’m not aware that there should be registration online; it has not been communicated to me and I don’t know the process. But if there is going to be registration, they should make it open for people to know. I’m not aware of registration before the vaccine.”

The health workers who insisted that the lives of doctors are at risk over the COVID-19 situation in the state queried the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) over non-inclusion of Cross River State in its daily update of COVID-19.

The letter partly read “The Association demands an explanation from NCDC, why the five (5) COVID-19 confirmed cases from UCTH carried out at the NCDC accredited Molecular Laboratory at Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, have not reflected in the daily situation report of NCDC long after results had been transmitted to UCTH since July 1, 2020. Congress demands an update of the NCDC situation report as a matter of urgent public health interest. Congress demands explanations from NCDC, why epidemiology code numbers have to be generated by Cross River State Ministry of Health before results of samples sent by UCTH to an NCDC approved Molecular Laboratory can be published by NCDC despite having approved UCTH as an independent Test Centre. The NCDC is put on notice that the Cross River State Government has abdicated her responsibility of contact tracing, treatment and care for the five (5) confirmed cases which may not be unconnected with the delay in the publication of the results by NCDC. The members of the Association and residents of Cross River State have been put in a precarious public health and safety situation due to the confusion and uncertainty created by the delayed updating of the results by NCDC. Congress demands an explanation from NCDC why despite several complaints of compromised testing in the State, investigations have not commenced on the unethical activities carried out by Cross River State COVID-19 Task Force.”

NMA President, Dr Fancis Faduyile made this call on Thursday during his appreance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

Faduyile warned, “Nigeria, we must know, is not a very rich country; her patients are not very capable of getting all the necessary payment for health and the health system is weak.”

“We cannot afford to get overwhelmed before we will start asking for whatever can be done for us to identify people who are positive, and for us to be able to quickly isolate them.

“The more we keep them in the community, the higher the risk of them infecting other members.”

According to him, NMA was working with other medical bodies to validate some of the mass screening kits for COVID-19, adding that as soon as they notice that some of the validated kits give fairly accurate results, they would advise the government to embark on the mass screening of Nigerians.

He said, “Nowadays, we are having patients who are coming to the hospital and are not given adequate treatment because attending physicians are not sure of the status of the patients.

“This is where the mass screening test will come in and can help in resolving some of the issues that we are facing generally.”

“It is important for us to stress that it is the testing that will help in the containment of this COVID-19 infection because until we test a large number of Nigerians and those who are positive are identified and possibly isolated, it is at that time that we know that we are going in the right direction to be able to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday April 23, Faduyile stated that proactive measures are necessary at this time because the country cannot afford to get overwhelmed by Coronavirus cases with its weak health system.

The NMA President said “Nigeria, we must know, is not a very rich country; her patients are not very capable of getting all the necessary payment for health and the health system is weak. We cannot afford to get overwhelmed before we will start asking for whatever can be done for us to identify people who are positive, and for us to be able to quickly isolate them. The more we keep them in the community, the higher the risk of them infecting other members. Nowadays, we are having patients who are coming to the hospital and are not given adequate treatment because attending physicians are not sure of the status of the patients. This is where the mass screening test will come in and can help in resolving some of the issues that we are facing generally. It is important for us to stress that it is the testing that will help in the containment of this COVID-19 infection because until we test a large number of Nigerians and those who are positive are identified and possibly isolated, it is at that time that we know that we are going in the right direction to be able to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said on Friday that gifts of medical supplies were being expected from China, organised by a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria. He added that an 18 man team of Chinese medical experts will come along with the flight.

However, NMA President, Francis Faduyile, in a statement Sunday, March 5, said the move is a misplaced priority. He described it as “a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions.”

The full statement from the NMA reads:
(1) The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) received the news of the intention of the Federal Government of Nigeria to invite Chinese doctors into the country at this time of a global pandemic with great dismay and utter disappointment.
(2) It is a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions, and a fragile health system to be subjected to the ignominy of not being carried along in arriving at such a decision.
(3) The lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), grossly inadequate test kits and test centres across the country, and the absolute lack of any form of insurance for the workforce are primordial issues begging for attention at this time.
(4) We are therefore profoundly dismayed to learn that the Federal Government is instead inviting the Chinese who from available accounts are not out of the woods themselves. The spike in cases and the death toll from COVID -19 in Italy coincided with the arrival of the Chinese in the guise of offering assistance. Even the United Nations has only just recently commended the efforts of Nigeria so far.
(5) The Association notes with grave concern that the Government did not take into consideration the extant laws regulating the practice of medicine in Nigeria as enshrined in the Medical and Dental Council Act. This is one such circumstance where the Medical and Dental Council of Nigerian should be consulted to grant necessary approvals to foreigners to interact with Nigerian patients.
(6) The Association appreciates the commendable work done by doctors and health workers at the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the various isolation centres across the country. It expects the Government to show appreciation by channelling the available resources and donations to improving testing facilities to detect more cases and ramp up capacity to train more workers.
(7) The Association is aware of a large pool of General Medical and Specialist Practitioners who are either unemployed or underemployed that can be engaged instead of bringing foreigners who aside from national security concerns may not be conversant with our culture, terrain and peculiar challenges.
(8) The Association believes that this invitation is ill-timed and of no overbearing significance considering that whatever experiences the Chinese have can be shared by digital technology through conferencing bearing in mind that Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has only just returned from China. We are not averse to the donation of equipment and supplies because we can always do with such support as even the developed countries receive support.
(9) In rejecting the invitation of the Chinese doctors, the NMA would instead urge the Federal Government to review and approve better welfare incentives to the frontline medical personnel. The provision of adequate personal protective equipment, opening and properly equipping more isolation centres and health facilities across the country is an excellent first step. Deploying more resources to facilitate testing as we are beginning to witness community transmission of COVID 19 is equally a better application of scarce resources.
(10) The Government should declare a state of emergency in the Health sector and use the opportunity to fix our health institutions as a matter of urgency in a bid to stem the rot.
(11) The NMA urges the Government to expand the Presidential Task Force to include other critical stakeholders including journalists and the civil society to ensure more robust engagement especially as the decisions of the task force has implications for the health, wealth and security of our country.
(12) It is a great disservice to the morale of the long-suffering frontline health workforce if the Government goes ahead to invite these Chinese doctors. The invitation demeans their sacrifices so far in this pandemic. We fail to see how the 18 man team would impact the current efforts in any significant way.
(13) The Association, however, expects that the Government would rescind the decision in the overall interest of the country.
(14) The NMA would loathe reviewing her participation in the fight against COVID-19 considering the grave implications and the risk to the lives of her members should the Government go ahead with this ill-thought-out invitation at this time.
(15) The Association remains committed to the Nigerian people and the Government. We support the efforts of our frontline health workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and we expect reciprocal trust from the Government.