By Asmau Ahmad
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has called for adequate funding of residency training to reduce brain drain in the health sector.
The President of the association, Dr Emeka Orji made the call when members of its executives paid a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila in Abuja.
This was contained in a press statement signed by Dr Orji and made available to our correspondent on Monday.
He said there is a need for appropriate budgeting and funding for the health sector to ease the provision of equipment and hospital consumables as well as take care of workers’ welfare.
“There is the need for adequate funding of residency training in Nigeria. This brings to the fore, the need to restore the overseas exchange program for doctors in specialist training.
We believe firmly that this would help reduce the push by Nigerian doctors to relocate abroad. The 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund also comes to mind.
“It is important to appreciate that resident doctors in Nigeria are working under pressure and there is a need to put a mechanism in place to speedily resolve issues that affect their welfare rather than wait for things to degenerate to the level of industrial disharmony
“The need for MRTA amendment. The need for upward review of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, non-taxation of call duty allowance which some states have started, special housing scheme and car ownership scheme,” he noted.
NARD is the umbrella body of all medical doctors undergoing specialist training in different fields of medicine in the country.
