Brain drain: Kaduna doctors want El-Rufai correct shortfall in their salaries
MEMBERS of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Kaduna State have called on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to correct what they called ‘perpetual shortfall’ in their salaries to address the issue of medical brain drain in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna ahead of this year’s health week themed ‘Road map to universal health coverage: the journey so far’, Chairman of NMA in the State, Dr. Shehu Abdulrahman said, Doctors in the state are paid lower than their federal counterparts; a situation he said has continuously favored internal brain drain to federal institutions as well as neighboring states.
“Recently, there was Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government where it pledged to correct the salary anomaly by January 2018 but seven months into the year, the situation is still the same.”
He appealed to the state government to fulfill its part of the agreements reached in the MOU.
As part of activities slated for the health week, the association will tomorrow begin medical screening and treatment on diabetes and hypertension for corp marshals of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The theme of the scientific conference, he said was carefully selected to illustrate the national situation and narrow it down to Kaduna state following the passage and signing into law of the State Health Insurance Act.
“Kaduna state is home to over 2,000 licensed practicing physicians who work both in the public and private sectors. Out of this, only about 12 percent are in the employment of the state government; hence all efforts at attaining universal health coverage must be put into consideration.
“There must be readiness to collaborate with the private sector which has the largest group of physicians in the state,” he stressed.
From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
MEMBERS of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Kaduna State have called on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to correct what they called ‘perpetual shortfall’ in their salaries to address the issue of medical brain drain in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna ahead of this year’s health week themed ‘Road map to universal health coverage: the journey so far’, Chairman of NMA in the State, Dr. Shehu Abdulrahman said, Doctors in the state are paid lower than their federal counterparts; a situation he said has continuously favored internal brain drain to federal institutions as well as neighboring states.
“Recently, there was Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government where it pledged to correct the salary anomaly by January 2018 but seven months into the year, the situation is still the same.”
He appealed to the state government to fulfill its part of the agreements reached in the MOU.
As part of activities slated for the health week, the association will tomorrow begin medical screening and treatment on diabetes and hypertension for corp marshals of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The theme of the scientific conference, he said was carefully selected to illustrate the national situation and narrow it down to Kaduna state following the passage and signing into law of the State Health Insurance Act.
“Kaduna state is home to over 2,000 licensed practicing physicians who work both in the public and private sectors. Out of this, only about 12 percent are in the employment of the state government; hence all efforts at attaining universal health coverage must be put into consideration.
“There must be readiness to collaborate with the private sector which has the largest group of physicians in the state,” he stressed.