The President of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), Dr Terfa Kene, has urged newly inducted medical doctors to resist emigration and contribute their skills to Nigeria’s development.
Kene gave the charge on Tuesday in Makurdi as guest speaker at the 12th induction ceremony of 56 medical graduates of the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM).
He said many Nigerians who emigrated abroad in search of better opportunities were not gainfully employed, noting that migration does not always guarantee career advancement or improved economic prospects.
Kene warned that some Nigerian doctors abroad often abandon medical practice for menial jobs. He urged the new doctors to build rewarding careers at home while pursuing global opportunities responsibly.
The public health physician described medical education as a source of pride for every society and called on governments, institutions, and families to invest deliberately in training competent healthcare professionals.
He advised the newly inducted doctors to be multi-skilled, entrepreneurial, and technologically driven, noting that telemedicine is now an integral part of modern medical practice.
Kene urged them to remain humble, continuously update their knowledge, and uphold the ethics of the profession despite social media influences.
He emphasised the need for doctors to treat patients with love, compassion, and dignity, stressing that effective healthcare requires understanding patients’ pain.
The guest speaker highlighted emerging health challenges such as climate change, burnout from long working hours, and lifestyle-related illnesses like Vitamin D deficiency caused by prolonged indoor living.
He commended the Benue State Government for ongoing infrastructural development and noted that poverty and disease are “like twins,” calling for sustained investment in healthcare.
Kene encouraged doctors to venture into entrepreneurship, including agriculture, and suggested that the government support banana cultivation along riverbanks for syrup production and economic growth.
He appealed to the Benue State Government to donate N200 million to APHPN for the construction of an estate and secretariat in Abuja, and to provide a bus for transporting doctors between Abuja and Benue when needed.
Kene also announced the institution of academic awards — the Joseph Kene Award, Mernan Kene Award, and Elizabeth Mbazedan Kene Award — for outstanding graduating students.
