Association calls for effective implementation of health workers’ migration policy

The Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) has called for the effective implementation of the Health Workers Migration Policy, saying it will transform the nation’s health sector.

The National President of the association, Dr Kayode Adesola, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Adesola said the policy provided sustainable response to the challenges of health workers’ migration, stressing that it was long overdue to ensure access to quality healthcare for citizens.

“The policy is a good one. And the way it goes, the government tried to avoid the controversial aspect of attempting to force health workers to stay; rather, they are dwelling more on those pull forces.

“Which is a more enduring response to health worker’s migration compared to previous poorly coordinated efforts that didn’t yield fruitful results.

“Some countries have been operating such policy for years. Countries like Palestine have a law that for every doctor that goes out, certain compensation must be paid to the country.

“Either bilateral or multilateral agreement, the policy will apply to any country and ensure the exchange of workers becomes symbiotic rather than the parasitic way it has been.

“So they want to make laws that will make it compulsory for those people to know that, yes, we are giving you one health worker whom you can retain.

“However, you have to train another one for us to match that person. So if we give you 10, that means you train 10 for us. That’s one matching one,” he said.

He noted that the brain drain had created a vacuum that had almost crippled the nation’s health system.

“Those cadres of doctors are supposed to be training the junior ones, but because of the “JAPA” (migration), they’ve all left.

READ ALSO: FG approves policy to manage health workers’ migration

“So, there’s a very big vacuum, which many of you are not aware of. And that vacuum cannot just continue to exist because somebody must train those coming behind.

“So, this 1:1 match reciprocity in the policy will try to repair some part of the damages already meted out to this country’s health system,” he said.

Adesola further said that the policy’s focus on digital health infrastructure was a crucial move to achieving a more efficient, data-driven and quality healthcare delivery system.

The president lauded the Federal Government for evolving the policy, appealing that implementation, which had stalled the performance of previous health policies, shouldn’t be allowed to affect the Health Workers’ Migration policy.

Adesola, however, said that the policy failed to address the insecurity issue, which was a factor pushing some health workers from the country.

NAN reports that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, on Aug. 12 said that the federal government has approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration.

Pate said the policy was a comprehensive strategy to manage, harness, and reverse health worker migration that has negatively affected the nation’s health system.

The policy also champions reciprocal agreements with other nations to ensure the exchange of health workers benefits Nigeria.