Nigerians Struggle to Understand Preventive Medicine – Dr Menakaya

UK and one in Nigeria, while the patient sits in his Nigerian home and gets the best treatment surrounded by family. This is not virtual or mobile app consultations. We identify what is available in Nigeria and make up the deficit with our international collaborators. Our ultimate goal is to build such a cohesive team that ensures optimum care to Nigerians and others living in developing countries.

The brain drain is sad but I cannot blame the doctors or nurses because unless Nigeria starts recognising that the bedrock of nations are built on health and take their doctors and nurses seriously, we will continue to experience this mass emigration.

Other countries recognise the value of our health workers and therefore, pay them the appropriate wages on time, give them a conducive environment and encourage their career growth. With a population of over 200 million people, Nigeria has a doctor/patient ratio of 1:4,250 against the recommended 1:600 by the World Health Organisation. This is mindboggling and distressing. The nurse/ patient ratio is even worse than this. At some time, we will be so short of health workers.

A nation without health workers might as well pack up shop and stop existing. Medicine is a rigorous and lengthy career, so after long years of studying, the wages and living conditions needs to be commensurate. This is the incentive to keep health workers in Nigeria. The government needs to realise that health workers are not magicians, they need the right tools, education and support to offer the best care to their patients. We can curb emigration if we change our priorities as a nation. Also, if we get the security right, then diaspora health workers can also begin to give back more to their motherland. COVID-19 is an eye opener to most countries across the globe.