National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof Bala Audi has urged all levels of government to ensure the uniform implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) which it said should be the minimum wage for all doctors in Nigeria.
Also Audu who was represented by the Chairman, NMA, Lagos State Zone, Dr. Babajide Kehinde Saheed has called for prompt payment of all outstanding arrears related to salary upgrades.
Audu made the call during the NMA Lagos State Zone’s Physicians’ Week 2024, which was held at the Old Great Hall, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idiaraba, Lagos on Tuesday.
CONMESS is the salary structure for medical and dental officers in the Federal Public Service. Audu said governments at all levels must invest in health infrastructure, improve working conditions for healthcare workers and prioritise health in the national agenda.
“We have the talent, the knowledge, the passion within our ranks to achieve great things,” adding, “What we need now is the support from our leaders.”
The theme of the Physician Week 2024 is ‘Ensuring Universal Applicability on Remuneration: A Panacea to Talent Retention in the Healthcare Industry’
The subtheme ‘Mitigating the Impact of Infectious Diseases and Addressing the Monkeypox Outbreak and Beyond’ were chosen as part of the continued efforts of the NMA in areas of stakeholders engagement towards ensuring the retention of Nigerian physicians in the country in order to guarantee healthcare quality while also addressing the scourge of infectious diseases.
In his speech, Dr Saheed said, “Today, the ‘Japa’ syndrome is not a new phenomenon to an average Nigerian as medical and dental practitioners leave all sectors and regions of the country in their droves to countries where their contributions will be valued with an evident commensurate welfare package.”
According to him, while the Nigerian governments at all levels continue to raise alarm on the negative impact of brain drain on the health sector of the nation with policy formulation and declarations of readiness to address the push factors, “surprisingly, there is practically nothing on ground that reflects the political will to implement the few policies that may bring about impactful interventions.”
Saheed said, “Unfortunately, unversal applicability has never been achieved in Nigeria despite agitations, negotiations and advocacy on the issue by the national, state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) branches of the NMA, especially at the state and local government levels.
This has led to internal brain drain with doctors moving from state government employment to federal government employment or from one state government employment to the other, depending on which state pays more.
This has led to drastic reduction in the number of doctors in the employment of states with poor remuneration,” adding the external brain drain, the ‘Japa’ syndrome is due in part to poor and ridiculous remuneration.
Governments at all levels must invest in health infrastructure
The Chairman of the Occasion, Dr Adebayo Aderiye commended the NMA for celebrating the 2024 Physician Week and described its theme as apt.
According to him, the primary aim of the Physician Week is to promote health and the health workforce. Although, the Abuja Declaration more than 10 years ago urged African leaders to allocate 15 per cent of budget to health, only Mauritius has kept that promise.
He therefore urged the federal and state governments to implement this directive as a strategy to address the ‘Japa’ syndrome. Dr. Adebayo also lamented that the current workforce among medical and dental practitioners are over-stretched due to the doctor’s brain drain.
While urging state governments to implement the new CONMESS as being requested by the NMA, he urged them to emulate Abia, Yobe and Kaduna States in allocating over 15 per cent of their state budgets to health. According to him, these measures can ultimately help to curb the ‘Japa’ syndrome.
In her contribution, wife of the Lagos State Governor, Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Dr. Folasade Fadare, the managing director, Harvey Road Hospital, Yaba, called for a fair and adequate remuneration to retain medical and dental practitioners in the country, saying the exercise is aimed to protect targeted individuals to make Lagos safer for everyone.
On his part, the provost of Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Prof. Abiodun Adewuya while lamenting the burnout among, practicing doctors in the country called on the three tiers of government to invest in healthcare infrastructure, create favorable working environment and implement policies that mitigate brain drain. Similarly, he said the governments should ensure competitive remuneration that retains workers in Nigeria.