Doctors demand regulatory commission for health practitioners

Doctor attending to a patient

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for a Medical Services Commission, fashioned after the Judicial Service Commission, to address shortage in human resources for health and a special intervention fund to push investment in health.

It is among several points the association raised with Senate president Bukola Saraki, himself a doctor, in moves it said would shore up the health sector.

During talks with Saraki, NMA president Dr Kayode Obembe said the commission’s role would “guarantee equity and efficiency as the law establishing the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria didn’t make provision for this very important lacuna.”

It raised concern about skewed distribution of health workers, which leaves nearly 65% of Nigerians, mostly in rural areas, without proper access to health workers per population.

NMA also raised issues with the continuous migration of Nigerian doctors and patients abroad, insisting Nigeria lost nearly N1 billion every year on health tourism, “most often on illnesses that could be comfortably handled here at a lower cost and convenience of the patients especially for  follow up appointments”.

“What is needed from the government to reverse this trend is appropriate regulatory and enabling environment for our professionals in the diaspora to return home to contribute their quota to national development,” Dr Obembe said.

The NMA president said it has kept robust track of doctors abroad through professional association.

Obembe said special intervention for health should be “accessible at single-digit interest rates to enhance investments into the health sector”, amidst vigorous implementation of public-private partnership.

The intervention “could also assist in attracting back our very talented and highly skilled diasporans who are very willing to return to their father land,” he added.

Similar interventions have been given in aviation, agriculture and manufacturing.