The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has highlighted the pressing issues contributing to the brain drain and healthcare crisis in Nigeria.
At a press conference in Abuja, NMA President Dr. Bala Audu addressed the key factors, including poor remuneration, inadequate infrastructure, protracted insecurity, low standard of living, and insufficient funding.
The 64th Annual General Conference and Delegates Meeting (AGC/DM) in Calabar observed a catastrophic shortage of Human Resource for Health (HRH) due to the alarming rate of migration of healthcare workers overseas, often referred to as the “Japan Syndrome.”
The conference also discussed the complex and sensitive nature of euthanasia in medical practice, noting the lack of a clear global consensus on the subject.
The AGC/DM expressed deep concern over the prevailing economic crisis in Nigeria, including the surge in consumer prices, exchange rate instability, and an increase in multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians, surpassing 100 million according to the World Bank.
The conference highlighted the obliteration of the middle class, heightened hunger and suffering, and violent assaults and kidnappings of healthcare workers.
The escalating rate of kidnappings, banditry, armed robbery, and killings in Nigeria was described as alarming, instilling fear among citizens.
The conference lamented the exit of pharmaceutical giants from Nigeria due to challenging business environments, leading to drug shortages, increased drug prices, and job losses.
The AGC/DM emphasized the impact of quackery in the healthcare sector, including complications with deadly outcomes, and called for urgent government intervention to prioritize healthcare funding.
The conference urged the government to implement robust palliatives and social intervention strategies to alleviate hunger and economic hardships, increase efforts to address security lapses, and create a friendly business environment to mitigate the impact of pharmaceutical and multinational companies’ exodus.
