By Christian George
Medical bodies in the country have stated that the international restriction on health practitioners’ migration will not stop Nigerians from accessing better opportunities abroad.
The Nigerian Medical Association and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors were reacting to the UK code of practice, which listed Nigeria among 54 other countries where health workers should not be actively recruited.
The bodies opined that the UK can only define its terms as freedom of movement is a fundamental right.
According to Punch, the UK explained that the 54 countries were those the World Health Organisation recognized as having the most pressing health and care workforce-related challenges.
The UK had stated that “Countries on the list should not be actively targeted for recruitment by health and social care employers, recruitment organisations, agencies, collaborations, or contracting bodies unless there is a government-to-government agreement in place to allow managed recruitment undertaken strictly in compliance with the terms of that agreement.
“Countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list are graded red in the code. If a government-to-government agreement is put in place between a partner country, which restricts recruiting organisations to the terms of the agreement, the country is added to the amber list.”
The NMA President, Dr Uche Ojinmah, in a chat with the press stated that the reason for the mass exodus of Nigerian doctors is because of poor welfare.
He said that the terms of employment can only be defined but freedom of movement cannot be restricted.
In his words, “I don’t begrudge the UK for recruiting Nigerian doctors because it’s the poor treatment they are getting from Nigeria that’s pushing them away. If the Nigerian government and people place a premium on Nigerians, they obviously won’t migrate.
“Nobody can take away the freedom of movement; it’s a fundamental right. They can only define the terms.”
In a related development, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Emeka Orji, said doctors can go to other countries to practice the profession.
Orji said, “The truth is that it is not only the UK that Nigerian health workers go to and even with this list, it only means that they will not only be headhunting our health workers. So, that doesn’t mean people can’t apply to work in the UK.”
