Guild of Medical Directors engages stakeholders to stem brain drain – New Telegraph

As part of long term solutions to reverse brain drain among healthcare workers in the country, doctors under the aegis of the National Guild of Medical Directors (GMD), have said the large contingent of health workers in the diaspora could become a pool of great resource that the nation can still benefit from through skills transfer, mentorship, and the use of technology (telemedicine).

Highlighting how these measures can benefit citizens, the President, National Guild of Medical Directors, Dr. Raymond Abiodun Kuti who made this known recently, said proactive concerted steps must be taken to take advantage of these opportunities, saying, the country will have to bring them back home. These are contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Annual General Meeting of the National Guild of Medical Directors held on December 3, last year.

The theme of the meeting was: ‘Human Resource Management for Healthcare: Challenges, Strategies and Opportunities’. Kuti urged governments at all level and stakeholders to be practical and adopt a systemic approach which include short and long-term strategies.

He said, “ Innovative approaches to increasing the pool of health workers available should be explored which include the elimination of roadblocks (such as licensing of doctors) that discourage mid-level doctors from coming back to Nigeria even if for short stints or short periods; re-hiring of retired physicians on retainership or contract basis to fill in the gaps created by doctors who have left the country and to also use their wealth of experience to mentor younger doctors; and the creation of safe and enabling environment that could provide generous incentives that will make it attractive for doctors and other health workers who have left the country to desire to come back home.” However, Kuti said, “The GMD will engage with government and all stakeholders in the following regards: the implementation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) policy that frowns at advanced countries poaching healthcare workers from developing nations, the promotion of multilateral negotiations between Nigeria and the key countries doctors and other health workers emigrate to so as to secure controlled emigration on more profitable terms for the country.” Similarly, president of the National Guild of Medical Directors called for the resuscitation of abandoned exchange programme that allowed residents and other cadres of health workers to go overseas for a specified period for specialised training and then come back to give back. “Likewise Nigerian resident doctors in training in diaspora should be able to come home for short, specialised training periods that will be counted as part of the training of such residents. “Increase funding of the health sector to ensure adequate infrastructural development and renumeration of doctors and other health workers as well as improving the pay to keep healthcare professionals in Nigeria. “Exemption of medical schools from university strikes should be passed into law”. Among doctors that attended the meeting include the following healthcare professionals (H.E. Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, The First Lady of Kebbi State, MD/CEO Medicaid Radio-Diagnostic Centre & Clinics, Abuja; Dr Amina Mohammed Baloni , Commissioner of Health in Kaduna State; Dr. Toyin Ajayi , MD, The Bridge Clinic; Dr. Juliet ATUNE, Registrar in Anesthesia) and top human resource managers (Mr Usen Udoh, , Senior Human Resources Executive; Mrs Bolanle Onime, , Senior Human Resource Executive, Chairman, Lagos Island Chapter of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria) brainstormed on why Nigeria is losing hundreds of healthcare personnel to brain drain.

Measures to address migration

The speakers identified key strategies that can be adopted by both the government and private sector organisations to retain doctors in Nigeria and stop them from leaving the country permanently. These include: “Organisations should provide career advancement programmes and opportunities by investing in training, learning and development programmes to keep abreast of new innovations. “Develop and implement enhanced health sector salary and incentive schemes especially in deprived areas to improve quality of life. “Skills such as effective communications, resilience, leadership, emotional intelligence, empathy, and quality assurance management must be actively taught to health professionals – starting early in schools. This will also help to improve communication channels and provide effective, ethical leadership and governance in healthcare institutions. “Human Resources (HR) management is imperative to ease burnout and minimise dissatisfaction while improving work-life balance for healthcare professionals.”

Causes of brain drain

President of the National Guild of Medical Directors said the key, pull (attractive factors that make working abroad more attractive) and push (negative factors that make working in Nigeria unattractive) causes of brain drain in the Nigerian healthcare sector can be classified under: reward and renumeration, resulting in health workers earning considerably less in Nigeria; Working environment: Poor working conditions and weak infrastructure with chronic underfunding is compounded by increased workload and overwork for those who remain in service, the communiqué stated. Under career opportunities and job satisfaction, Kuti said limited career opportunities for advancement are compounded by political interference and the lack of performancebased promotion. This leads to low morale and poor attitude amongst the health workforce, he noted. Security: Kuti said the pervasive challenging political climate and insecurity is an important reason for uninhibited brain drain. Governance: The lack of adherence to the Commonwealth Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Health Workers makes it easy for other countries to recruit medical professionals with impunity.

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