Bring back our colleagues in Diaspora, doctors tell FG

Bring back our colleagues in Diaspora, doctors tell FG

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Some Nigerian doctors resident in the United States of America, Roger Olade, Ayotunde Adeyeri and Gbadebo Adebayo, have called on the Federal Government to put in place policies that will attract Nigerian medics in Diaspora home.

Internal medicine and critical care specialist, Dr. Roger Olade,  and his colleagues, minimally invasive surgeon, Dr. Ayotunde Adeyeri, and interventional pain management expert, Dr. Gbadebo Adebayo have called on the Federal Government to put in place policies that will attract Nigerian doctors in Diaspora home.

The trio made the appeal while speaking at a seminar organised by the Genesis Specialist Hospital, Lagos.

Olade, an Internal Medicine and Critical Care specialist, said this would help Nigeria to reduce revenue it loses to medical tourism.

According to him, Nigerians spend over $1bn on medical treatment abroad annually because there is dearth of specialists in some crucial aspects of medicine.

The Harvard- trained doctor said his colleagues overseas would to return home, if the Federal Government created policies and enabling environment.

Olade said, “We discovered that if medical tourism must reduce, we need to provide an environment that combines good expertise with updated medical facilities.”

Adeyeri, who is also the Chief of Surgery at the Genesis Specialist Hospital, said that apart from the loss to medical tourism, many patients did not fare better when they receive treatment abroad.

Adeyeri said, “It is good to have surgery when you are close to your relatives but Nigerians have to pass through a series of challenges by going abroad because of the poor health sector here. Nigeria does not have major centres of excellence in health care that can stand next to some centres in West Africa and this is not good.

“There are many Nigerians with different skills overseas but there are no places and facilities to enable them to practise well at home. Health care for a population requires commitment in terms of resources. Also, individuals, institutions and the government have a lot to do in terms of financial and policy commitment.

“For this to change, some of us have decided do something. That is why we took our step to establish a hospital in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is one of the biggest black nations where we do not have major centres of excellence in health care. The government needs to write new policies to bring about health infrastructure and improve expertise.”

 PUNCH. 

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