Medical fellows advocate for medical training to prevent brain drain

The President of the Postgraduate Medical College Fellows’ Association, Prof. Akinsanya Osibogun, encouraged the Federal Government to concentrate on developing and keeping trained medical professionals in Nigeria on Tuesday.

He claimed that there is a significant need for qualified professionals, particularly in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada.

Speaking to reporters outside the 17th Annual Scientific Conference and All Fellows’ Congress (ASCAF) in Ilorin, Osibogun made this statement.

The program’s subtitle, “Technology in Medicine and Public Private Partnership,” describes its focus as “Improving Health Care Financing In Nigeria”.

He asked the government to stop the “Japa syndrome,” or the exodus of skilled workers to countries with better opportunities.

“You must provide sufficient incentives to keep your talented individuals on staff if you want to retain them. Additionally, incentives might be both monetary and non-monetary, he added.

The expert named inadequate facilities and insufficient pay as the two biggest problems facing medical professionals.

“We are aware that the government cannot solve the problem on its own. Therefore, all stakeholders must establish mechanisms to enhance the health sector and keep the workforce that we have trained in the nation.

The only way to keep them is to make their workplace better so that all of the tools and equipment they require to provide service are available.

He remarked, “Medical professionals must be fairly compensated and the climate must be welcoming to keep them in the country.

Younger physicians are leaving the country, according to Osibogun, who also stated that “we need those younger doctors to be available so that we can train them to become specialists and remain in Nigeria.”

He suggested that as a nation, “we need to come up with plans to make sure that necessary equipment are available geopolitically, statewide, or by ward.”

Therefore, he urged all levels of government to enhance their pay for healthcare workers, as well as their workspaces, tools, and equipment.

Dr. Foluwasayo Ologe, the head of the conference’s local organising committee, had earlier said that the theme of the programming was appropriate since Nigeria has to do a better job of financing healthcare.

He asserts that the nation’s healthcare system requires public-private partnerships to be supported.

The days of primitive medicine are long gone, according to Ologe, a professor of otorhinolaryngology at the University of Ilorin.

The field of medicine uses a lot of technology. Robotic surgery, which uses technology, enables surgical intervention without the doctor having to be physically present, according to him.

The principal purpose of the institution, according to Prof. Adekunle Okesina, Consultant Chemical Pathologist at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), is to produce specialists in all areas of medicine and dentistry.

He claims that through its Faculty of Pathology, it regulates the postgraduate medical education and training of pathologists in Nigeria.