Nigeria To Employ Foreign Doctors To Work In The Country
Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said Thursday that Nigeria would employ the services of medical experts from Europe and America.
The disclosure came at a time that some stakeholders are expressing concern about the migration of health workers from the country.
Ehanire said officials of the ministry were in touch with foreign embassies for specialists who would work in hospitals across the country for specified periods.
The minister, who stated this during the 2020 budget defence session, said the move would strengthen the nation’s health sector.
He was responding to a question from a member of the Mrs. Tolulope Akande Sodipe-led House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Matters about plans for curbing medical tourism.
Ehanire said the experts, already exposed to sophisticated practice in the advanced world, would not only attend to the health needs of Nigerians but also use the opportunity to share expertise with their local counterparts.
There are equally plans to make indigenous consultants and surgeons spend some time abroad and come back to improve the Nigerian healthcare system, the minister said.
He maintained that the country’s teaching hospitals were adequately equipped and manned by experienced and qualified doctors but noted that more work needed to be done to build the confidence of Nigerians on the facilities.
The minister added that the sector requires more funds to also create an enabling atmosphere for Nigerian experts in the diaspora to return and render free services to the homeland.
