Nike Adebowale-Tambe
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The National Association of Government General Medical and
Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) has called on the Nigerian government to
initiate measures to tackle factors surrounding medical tourism effectively.
The association made the call in a communique issued at the
end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on 14 May in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The President of the association, Sofiri Peterside, said the
conviction of Nigeria's former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his
wife, and a medical doctor in the United Kingdom had highlighted the multidimensional
issues surrounding medical tourism in Nigeria.
Mr Peterside said this includes the gap in health
infrastructure and the attitude of political officeholders on their preference
for healthcare overseas despite the availability of such services in the
country.
"In light of Sen. Ekweremadu's saga, NEC urged the
government to initiate measures to tackle the factors surrounding medical
tourism effectively, and consider placing some restrictions on political office
holders from seeking medical care overseas, especially when such services (both
human and infrastructural) are available in the country.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Nigerian politician and the
two others were found guilty of organ trafficking in the UK and sentenced to
prison.
They allegedly procured a 21-year-old Nigerian and flew him
to the UK to harvest his kidney for their sick daughter. While Ekweremadu got
nine years and eight months in prison, the court sentenced his wife, Beatrice,
to four years and six months in jail, while the doctor Obeta, was sentenced to
10 years.
Medical tourism
Nigerian politicians, including President Muhammadu Buhari,
are fond of seeking medical treatment overseas. Contrary to the promise he made
to Nigerians to end the practice, the president has embarked on many medical
trips since he came into office in 2015.
The latest of his numerous trips is for toothache treatment
in the UK, barely three weeks to the end of his eight-year tenure.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how medical tourism had been
estimated to cost Nigeria over N576 billion ($1.2 billion) yearly, a part of
that by the Nigerian leader, although the government never discloses the cost
of Mr Buhari's medical trips.
Other issues
The association urged the government at all levels to
increase budgetary allocations to health, improve the welfare of health
workers, improve the working conditions and health infrastructure and improve
the security of healthcare workers and institutions.
It also called for the provision of regular inducement
packages and other incentives, as these are the essential keys to tackling and
reversing the ongoing brain drain in the healthcare sector of our country.
It said it was important for various state governments to
urgently address the welfare issues confronting doctors working under their
employ.
The communique reads in part: "NEC commended the
efforts of the government of Ekiti and Delta States in improving the welfare of
their healthcare workers and admonished other state governments to follow suit
by ensuring domestication of the reviewed hazard allowance, payment of 100 per
cent CONMESS, payment of medical residency training grants, prompt payment of
salaries/arrears and ensure prompt promotions."
On Benue, Ondo
The association also admonished the government of Benue
State to show greater political will and commitment by paying the ten months'
salary arrears owed doctors and other health workers in the state, describing
the development as a gross violation of extant labour laws "for workers to
be owed for such a duration."
It also implored the government of Ondo State to jettison
the ongoing payment of enhanced salary structure and revert to payment of CONMESS
as applicable in other states.
The association also declared as unacceptable and condemned
the malicious and obnoxious bill seeking to prescribe a five-year mandatory
service for Nigerian-trained Doctors.
It insisted that such a bill should be immediately
jettisoned as it violates all known labour laws and infringes on the
fundamental rights to freedom of movement.
"NEC believes that the taxpayers' money should not be
wasted in calling for a public hearing on such bill. NEC profoundly commends
the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, for standing on the side
of truth by strongly condemning the said bill," the association added.