WMA President Criticizes Bill Mandating Medical Graduates to Practice in Nigeria for Five Years

The President of the World Medical Association, WMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, on Sunday criticized the House of Representatives’ Bill mandating any Nigeria-trained medical or dental practitioner to practice in Nigeria for a minimum of five years before being granted full registration/license by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN.

Enabulele, who spoke after attending the 5th Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in Geneva, said the sponsor of the Bill claimed there are about 10, 000 doctors practicing in Nigeria, adding that the claim alone clearly showed the unresearched nature of the proposal.

“From the information available to me, as at 30th December, 2022, there were 104, 327 medical and dental practitioners on the register of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, with the number of practicing doctors put at 56, 829. So, where did he get the figure of 10, 000 from?” he questioned.

Enabulele said the proposition of the sponsors is “not only outlandish, but totally retrogressive, unresearched and very ill-formed.” 

“This Bill sponsored by Hon. Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson shows a clear lack of understanding of the push and pull factors buoying the crisis of brain drain in Nigeria and other parts of Africa; the region worst hit by the crisis,” he added.

He expressed shock that rather than come up with purposive and progressive solutions on how to transparently and comprehensively address the push factors accelerating the crisis of brain drain in Nigeria, they sought to come up with a proposition whose remedy is likely to generate a worse ailment and crisis.

“Furthermore, the Bill seeks to achieve its objective through an amendment of the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act. As is well known, a Bill seeking to repeal and re-enact this same Act was passed by the Senate in the year 2021 and awaiting concurrence by the same House of Representatives,” Enabulele said.

He further queried: “Where in the world do you deny someone, who has been duly certified qualified according to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, a license to practice? Do the sponsors appreciate the fact that their proposition bristles with grave implications for National development, particularly as it concerns specialist training in Nigeria and the delivery of quality healthcare services?”

Enabulele said even though it is a truism that doctors are the leaders of the health team, he found the proposition selective and discriminatory.

“I equally find the proposition a gross affront on the fundamental rights and freedoms of medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria, as expressed in the relevant provisions of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

“I would, therefore, like to urge the sponsors of the Bill to reconsider their position and withdraw the Bill, as the cure it offers will undoubtedly be worse than the ailment it seeks to cure,” he stated.

The House of Representatives had passed for second reading, a Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022, that seeks to make it compulsory for graduates in medical and dental fields to render services within Nigeria for five years before being granted a full license.

Speaking on the Global forum, Enabulele commended the Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus-led World Health Organization (WHO) for successfully organizing the 5th Global Forum on Human Resources for Health.

Stating that it was well-attended by Member States of the WHO, he regretted that Nigeria was not represented.