As the Ondo state government plans to employ 1,000 health workers to address the perennial shortage of manpower in the sector, the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has expressed concern that medical doctors may turn down applying for the job because of the current entering point for newly employed doctors in the state. 

Speaking on the NMA 2023 Physicians’ Week on Monday in Akure, the state capital,  the chairman of the Ondo NMA, Dr Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe said no doctor would accept such job, considering the present entering point for doctors which is lower compared to other states.

He said,” We have many challenges in Ondo NMA, one of them is that we lack personnel. Recently we heard in the news that over 1000 health workers would be employed by the state government. We are still waiting for the recruitment exercise to commence.

“Though, the government had approved the employment health workers, however there is a clause in Ondo state. The federal government actually approved entering points for doctors at grade level 13/2 but up till now in Ondo state, we are still using grade level 12/3. 

“If we are employing doctors and this point of entering is not adjusted, I can imagine the number of the doctors that will come.

“We have discussed extensively with the government at different meetings, we are waiting and we have also heard that the government had decided to employ over 1,000 health workers, but we are concerned about doctors. Having doctors in Ondo state and doctors coming for that employment.

“What I mean is that when you have a state that is employing at the level of grade level 13/2 and another state is employing at the level of grade level 12/3, which one will you choose as a young doctor coming to the system?

“So that is what we are saying that we acknowledged the fact that the state government is employing but that point of entering is very important for us to have doctors.”

The state NMA, who confirmed that the state had also experienced the ‘japa’ syndrome in the health sector, said the development required the government to improve the welfare of the remaining health workers in the state.

“Another thing is making the working conditions of our doctors and other health workers conducive. If we don't do this, people will not come. We can stop people from migrating if our doctors can be tied down with so many incentives, like housing loans, car loans, as they are being employed and you pay in instalment from their salaries, it will encourage them to take such job, and nobody would want to go until they pay up such loans.”

“In Ondo State today, doctors, pharmacists and others are leaving the country for advanced country, we cannot stop them, they have the human right to migrate, but what are those things making them migrate, these are the things we have discussed with the government, we need competitive allowances and salaries as compared to other countries even if we come locally, as compared to other states, these we are not getting, but we believe it would come.”