Group charges Federal Government to address issues causing brain drain in health sector
Written by Joey Shekwonuzhibo on May 2, 2023
As Nigerians marked this year’s Workers’ Day, health workers have expressed worry over the alarming brain drain in the Nigerian health sector, urging the Federal Government to urgently address issues causing the mass exodus of best brains in the sector.
The health workers under the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, NUAHP, is also demanding that the current gaps are addressed through mass recruitment of health professionals across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities in the country.
In a message to mark the 2023 Workers Day, National President of NUAHP, Dr. Ogbonna Obinna, says the Union is running out of patience with the lack-lustre way the Federal Government is handling the technical report on the implementation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS.
The Union also laments the gaps and the consequences, stating that it has led to the disturbing trend of acute human resource shortage and could cripple the entire health sector in Nigeria.
Latest epidemiological report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has shown that 20 persons were infected with Lassa fever in seven days, between April 17 and 23, 2023.
The cases were reported in Ondo with six cases, Edo with seven cases, Bauchi with four cases, Taraba two cases, and Gombe one case.
However, two deaths were reported in Taraba and Gombe in one week.
Since the beginning of the year, 897 confirmed cases, with 154 deaths, have been recorded in 26 states and 103 Local Government Areas.
The NCDC says 72 per cent of all confirmed cases were reported from three states, Ondo 32 per cent, Edo 29 per cent and Bauchi 11 per cent.
Against earlier reports making the rounds, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has denied reports of banning Indomie instant noodles and has assured consumers that the product is safe for consumption.
It should be recalled that health officials in Malaysia and Taiwan had claimed to detect ethylene oxide, a car-ci-no-ge-nic substance responsible for lymphoid cancer and, breast cancer in the product leading to a series of investigations of Indofoods, manufacturers of the product.
The Ministry of Health of Malaysia, MOH, would immediately issue a directive to hold, test and release the Indomie Special Chicken Flavour instant noodles products from Malaysia at all entry points of the country.
Despite this scare, the Director-General of the health agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has asked consumers not to fret over the South-Asia countries’ preemptive measures.
