Kwara NMA warns on looming scarcity of doctors

The Chairman of Kwara State chapter of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Abubakar Ayinla, has warned of the imminent scarcity of medical practitioners in the country if adequate remuneration is not packaged for them.

Ayinla, therefore, canvassed the transfer of the emoluments of doctors from the concurrent list to the exclusive list with the aim of harmonising the salary scale of doctors in the country.

He spoke yesterday in Ilorin during a press briefing to announce this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the local association.

The highlight of the one-week event would be the lecture entitled ‘Eradication of Malaria: Myth or Reality?’ and will be delivered on Monday, July 4 by Professor Olugbenga Mokuolu of the Paediatric section of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin.

The week-long event will also witness free community medical and surgical outreach at Edidi in Irepodun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State. There will be corrective surgeries on the eyes of members of the community, as over 30 patients among them have been lined up for cataract operations.

According to Ayinla, “Our passion for this job is apparent but while we struggle hard to save lives, nobody is fighting our cause for us. There are no uniform salaries among the doctors working for various tiers of government. This can only be possible if our salaries can be transferred from Concurrent to Exclusive list.

“We may, therefore, get to a point where nobody will like to go to university and pass through rigorous academic work only to be rewarded with paltry salaries equivalent to those who study other courses with less tedious course work. Therefore, we need to be encouraged and not castigated.

Nobody sees us when we pay some of the medical bills if indigent patients; we even donate our blood in some cases to save the lives of less privileged patients. The public only rise against us when we embark on strike to press home some of our rights.”

Ayinla, who was in the company of other officials of the association, Kunle Olawepo (Deputy Chairman), Dr. Ahmed Abdullahi, (Secretary) among others, also canvassed the spread of Community Health Insurance Scheme to more inhabitants living in the rural communities towards making healthcare system accessible and affordable for more Nigerians.