The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of the nation’s health sector, rising economic hardship, and the mass migration of healthcare professionals to developed countries.
In a communiqué issued on Tuesday at the end of its 51st Regular National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja, the union called on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to take urgent and deliberate actions to save Nigeria’s health system from total collapse.
The communiqué, signed by the union’s National President, Kabiru Sani, and Secretary-General, Auwalu Kiyawa, was made available to our correspondent by the union.
Nigeria is currently facing one of its worst brain drain crises, as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists migrate abroad in search of better pay and working conditions.
At the same time, economic hardship driven by inflation, subsidy removal, and the naira’s depreciation continues to erode workers’ purchasing power.
According to the communiqué, “The Nigerian health sector is absolutely far from the health sector of our dream, ranging from infrastructural deficit, inadequate human resources for health, and under-funding of the sector. The NEC-in-Session, therefore, calls on the Federal Government and all relevant stakeholders to rise towards building a sustainable health system through enhanced wages and improved public funding.
“The NEC-in-Session is worried about the current economic hardship in Nigeria, encompassing a high inflationary trend and over-dependence on imported goods. The Session calls on the Federal Government to step up action and put immediate modalities on the ground to cushion the existing anomalies.”
Another major concern raised by the union is the increasing migration of health professionals, which it described as an alarming brain-drain.
“NEC-in-Session evaluated the various reports of alarming brain-drain in Nigeria occasioned by the continuous migration of health workforce to the developed Countries of the world and its adverse effect on the care economy.
This has led to a serious shortage of human resources for health in Nigeria, thereby promoting medical tourism and inaccessibility of health care. The NEC-in-Session charges the Nigerian government to re-evaluate the push and pull factors to retain and attract health workers,” it said.
Decrying the low budgetary allocation to health, the union reminded the government of its commitment under the Abuja Declaration of 2001, which recommended a minimum budgetary allocation of 15 per cent to the health sector.
“NEC-in-Session is also worried about the continuous low budgetary allocation to health despite the commitment of various African Leaders in 2001 with a popular declaration (Abuja Declaration) geared towards having a minimum of 15 per cent budgetary allocation to health.
“The NEC-in-Session calls on the Federal Government to make a deliberate effort to live by example in the region and sub-region by respecting this declaration,” it emphasised.
On insecurity, the union condemned the rising cases of violence and internal displacement across Nigeria, warning that poverty and insecurity are deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
The prevailing state of insecurity in virtually all parts of Nigeria is alarming and unacceptable, and this has vehemently increased the size of internal displacement in Nigeria.
“The NEC-in-Session, therefore, calls on the Federal Cum State governments and other relevant stakeholders to take immediate steps to curb this menace before it renders everyone homeless while multiplying poverty, and remember that poverty anywhere threatens prosperity everywhere (Philadelphia Declaration, 1944),” it stated.
The communiqué commended the Federal Government for creating the National Council on Climate Change in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress, but urged it to declare a state of emergency on climate change due to growing threats from food shortages, flooding, disease outbreaks, migration, and desertification.
It added that the opening ceremony was graced by prominent labour leaders, union presidents, and dignitaries, including past and present presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, representatives of sister unions, and the Registrar of Trade Unions, and was formally declared open by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi.
PUNCH NEWS.
