Eko Hot Blog reports that the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected ongoing plans in the House of Representatives to “enslave” doctors in the country.
The association is rejecting a proposed bill which seeks to amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act 2004 to address the brain drain in the health sector.
Sponsored by Ganiyu Johnson, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from Lagos State, the bill mandates Nigerian-trained medical and dental professionals to practise for five years before getting full licence.
A lack of full licence will essentially make the health workers unable to practise outside the country.
The association of resident doctors, in a communique after a meeting of its national officers committee (NOC) on Monday, said it will strongly resist the move to hold Nigerian-trained medical and dental personnel back in Nigeria.
According to the communique, the resident doctors agree with the lawmaker about the dangers of brain drain in the health sector, but they dismissed the bill as “obnoxious” and “modern-day slavery.”
Nigerian House of Representatives
NARD, therefore, called on federal representatives to kill the bill immediately.
“The extended NOC observed with shock and disappointment the infuriating attempts by Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson and the house of representatives to enslave Nigerian-trained medical doctors for five years post-graduation before they can be issued full practicing licenses or allowed to travel abroad if they so wished,” the communique reads.
“The extended NOC admonishes the house of representatives that the obnoxious bill as sponsored by Ganiyu Johnson is a clear definition of modern-day slavery and not in keeping with anything civil, and so should be thrown away at this point.
“The house, however, agreed with him on the palpable dangers of the current menace of brain drain in the health sector and promised to work with the government to reverse the trend when the government is ready to come up with genuine solutions to the problem.
“The extended NOC reiterates that any attempt by the government or any of its agencies to enslave Nigerian medical doctors under any guise would be strongly and vehemently resisted by the association.”
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