Bill To Halt Doctors’ Emigration, Modern Day Slavery – NARD
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called the Bill that would bar medical professionals with training in Nigeria from receiving full licenses to practice or from going overseas for five years “modern-day slavery.”
A bill to amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap M379, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to require any Nigerian-trained medical or dental practitioner to practice in Nigeria for a minimum of five years before being granted a full license by the council in order to make quality healthcare services available to Nigeria is being sponsored by Hon. Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson in the House of Representatives. (HB.2130).
NARD committed to thwart any attempt by the government or any of her agencies to enslave its members under any pretext in a communique released at the conclusion of its emergency prolonged National Officers’ Committee (NOC) meeting held virtually.
The extended NOC cautions the House of Representatives that the objectionable bill, sponsored by Hon. Ganiyu Johnson, is a clear description of modern-day slavery and is out of step with anything civil and should, therefore, be discarded at this time, according to the statement.
The extended NOC reaffirms that the Association will vigorously and fiercely oppose any attempt by the government or any of her agencies to enslave Nigerian medical doctors under whatever pretext.
However, when the government is prepared to offer sincere remedies to the issue, the doctors have vowed to collaborate with it to revers the trend.
NARD requested the Federal Ministry of Health and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to review the current state of the membership certificate of the Postgraduate Colleges in order to upgrade it to what it was previously and what is currently the case in other West African nations.
Furthermore, it urged the federal government to expedite the payment of the 2023 MRTF because any attempt to do otherwise would only cause the health sector to experience yet another round of unwelcome crises. These agreements were reached by the stakeholders assembled by the Federal Ministry of Health.
The NARD president, Dr. Orji Emeka Innocent, the secretary-general, Dr. Chikezie Kelechi, and the publicity and social secretary, Dr. Umar Musa, all signed the communiqué.
