The President of the World Medical Association, Dr Osahon Enabulele, has expressed his opposition to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, which proposes that medical and dental graduates in Nigeria should serve a compulsory five-year period within the country before being granted a full license to practice. The bill, which aims to stop the migration of Nigerian medical professionals to other countries, passed its second reading in the House of Representatives last week.
Dr Enabulele, speaking in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, described the bill as misplaced and ill-advised. He called for the withdrawal of the bill, saying it would exacerbate the existing brain drain crisis in Nigeria.
The WMA President argued that the bill showed a lack of understanding of the factors driving the brain drain crisis in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. He suggested that the government should instead invest in the health system and workforce to address the root causes of the crisis.
Dr Enabulele also criticized the bill for being selective and discriminatory, as professionals from all sectors of Nigeria are leaving the country. He urged the sponsors of the bill to reconsider their position and withdraw the bill, warning that the cure it offers would be worse than the ailment it seeks to cure.
The proposed amendment to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act has sparked debate in Nigeria, with some supporting the idea of compulsory service to the country and others opposing it. The bill will now be discussed in committee before it can be passed into law.