By Chukwudi Abasi, Abuja
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions, Amos Magaji, said the migration of health workers from Nigeria to other countries in search of greener pastures is a significant challenge to the nation’s healthcare system.
Speaking at a public hearing on 16 bills aimed at establishing one health institution across the country, Magaji said the core of the hearing is to guide the Federal Government in implementing its commitment to improving the healthcare sector through the wide distribution of healthcare Institutions in Nigeria.
He said that as a result of the growing population, the need for reference hospitals closer to the people, particularly in rural and suburban areas, has grown critical for ensuring the success of government initiatives to improve healthcare.
According to him, tertiary health institutions in Nigeria are designed to provide tertiary healthcare services to complement primary and secondary care in the national healthcare system.
He added that the federal government must balance inequality in the distribution of tertiary institutions across the country to develop and expand the country’s training institutions and ensure an equitable distribution of health manpower.
He argued that the mass exodus of health workers and professionals to other countries presents a significant challenge to Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
He said, “Recently, there has been an enormous migration of doctors, Nurses, and other health workers in search of “greener pastures” in other countries, leaving Nigeria’s health sector severely understaffed.
“The need to reposition the healthcare sector to meet numerous emerging challenges is crucial to its improvement. To succeed in this era, a system well invested in human resources and medical intelligence as the backbone of the health sector is required. The administrative appointment of capable persons based on merit in hospital management also has a role to play.
“Proper human resource management is critical to providing high-quality health care. Effective human resource management strategies are critical for improving healthcare outcomes and access in Nigeria.
“As arguably the most important of the health system inputs, the performance and benefits the system can deliver depend mainly on the knowledge, skills, and motivation of those responsible for providing health services. Therefore, this aspect of our health sector must be invested in to ensure a thriving and performing sector.
“The structural quality of a health system is heavily influenced by its healthcare infrastructure. As we have carried out oversight functions to healthcare institutions across the country since the inauguration of this committee, what is undeniably evident are infrastructural deficiencies of health services, lack of equipment resulting largely from inadequate funding of health institutions by the government, and a total lack of maintenance culture for equipment provided.”
The Minister of Health, Prof Mohammed Ali Pate, warned against duplication of health institutions nationwide.
He said it would be counter-productive to duplicate efforts, especially in this era of scarce resources.
Represented by a Ministry director, Dr Jimoh Salahudeen, the Minister said the Ministry remains enthusiastic about and supportive of every effort to ensure growth and progress in the health sector.
He said the migration of health workers underscores the need for Nigeria to have an efficient health workforce that is readily available when there are any health emergencies.
