The 122 medical doctors and 22 dentists from the University of Ibadan (UI) that were newly inducted into Nigeria’s health workforce had been told to reconsider their decisions to seek greener pastures abroad but use their new skills to help the health sector in the country.
Leading the call, Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, whose daughter, Toluwanimi, was also inducted, urged the new graduates to reconsider their decisions in support of Nigerians who require medical attention and reverse the declining health sector.
He said, “I’m just appealing to them that the country they want to go to was built by some people, so they should reconsider this Japa syndrome and join hands with us so that we can build a country of their own because the future belongs to them.
“There are a lot of discouragements all around. When the going gets tough, then the tough gets going. Yes, there are discouragements, but those who are discerning should stay back and ensure that we reverse the trend. It’s doable.
“What I can tell them is that they should not lose faith in themselves; they should hold on to God; they should be committed; and they should also avoid what I call a microwave solution to things. Life is a process, and once they are very committed to the process, they should know one thing: home is home.”
The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Dr Fatima Kyari, who was represented by the Head of the Medical Registration Department, Dr Henry Okwuokenye, said it behoves the fresh doctors to reciprocate government efforts to subsidise their education by finding a way, by all means, to give back to the government.
He said, “So we have to let them know that the efforts of the government will have to be reciprocated all over the world. We know what it costs to train one doctor, and the Nigerian government has continued to heavily subsidise this education.
“The average of what they pay here, as was said in the programme, is $50 for a year, but elsewhere we know that thousands of dollars are paid every session to train a doctor. Therefore, it becomes reasonable why somebody wants to reciprocate the efforts of the government in finding a way by all means to give back to the government.
“I will really, from my heart, plead with the graduates to understand all the efforts that the community has put into their training and find a way to give back to the people. When we leave the country, we still leave our family members behind. We don’t go with every one of them. They still have to be taken care of. How do we do this? In what way do we get it done?“
In his remarks, UI’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, reminded the new doctors that the medical profession is a divine call and urged them to emulate the alumni of the university, breaking ground all over the globe.
He said the healthcare system is under pressure globally, urging the new doctors not to be deceived by greener pastures elsewhere but to stay back to help the health sector in the country.
Earlier, the provost of the College of Medicine, Professor Olayinka Omigbodun, charged them to remain focused and be good ambassadors of the college, adding that the government had trained them almost for free, and as such, they must seek means of giving back to the system by supporting the health sector in the country.
She expressed sadness at the large rate at which the country’s intellectuals are leaving for greener pastures elsewhere.
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