The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), says it welcomes the incentive proposal provided for in the newly endorsed Health Workforce Migration (HWM) Policy of the Federal Government.
The National President, Prof. Bala Audu, said this while speaking on Friday in Abuja about the said policy.
Audu said that the document was commendable as it made provision for capacity building and incentives for healthcare workers and other items that would be beneficial to healthcare workers.
“It talked about incentives in general principle but it did not define the kind of incentives.
“When you discuss this with most healthcare providers, the single most important incentive among other things for them is improved take-home salaries.
“Something they will be able to use to cater for their well-being and that of their dependents and for the education of their children.
“We are going to approach government to discuss the nature and extent of the incentives.”
Regarding capacity development, the president said it was a good development.
Audu said this was because it would translate into improvement of the facilities for the training and the quality of care delivered in those training institutions, both locally as well as internationally.
“The other issue is security because many cited insecurity as some of the reasons amongst others that make them leave.
“We know insecurity is a general problem in this country, but workplace security is very critical.
“Some of the cases that are still pending, regarding kidnap of doctors and other health care providers, include a case where the kidnap actually took place within the workplace premises.
“Even though it is at home, but that house is domiciled within the hospital which is the workplace.
“So, improving workplace environment, both in terms of security and in terms of providing the necessary comfort at the working environment that will enable health care providers to give the best productivity, is also a welcome idea.”
The president said that the association would engage with the government in a very constructive way to ensure the implementation of the policy.
“We have no fear about the policy, but our only concern is the implementation. If we implement what the policy says, I believe we can improve the existing situation,” he added.
He also said that if well implemented, the provisions of the policy were enough to retain the health workforce in Nigeria and also bring back those who have migrated to other climes for greener pastures.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved the policy which is set to transform healthcare human resource management in Nigeria.
Also, Nigeria has a skilled health worker density of 1.83 per 1000, far below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation.
The country also ranks among the 37 countries with critical health workforce shortages, as contained in the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list.
Therefore, to address the critical challenges facing Nigeria’s health human resources, the comprehensive strategy is expected to manage, harness, and reverse health worker migration and also serve as a response to the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals.
The goal is to produce appropriate and adequate human resources for health to deliver integrated people-centred healthcare at all levels of the health system.
“To have a mutually beneficial migration policy that encourages bilateral agreements with other countries for a seamless flow of Nigerian health professionals to and from destination countries and states within Nigeria.
“To meet the healthcare delivery needs of the country and have an adequate, equitably distributed, and well-motivated health workforce in Nigeria.”
NAN
