Nigerians lambast Ngige over ‘doctors can leave’ comment

Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

Mixed reactions have continued to trail comments credited to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who said that medical doctors, who want to leave Nigeria, are free to do so as the country has a lot of medical personnel.

A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, who tackled Ngige for saying that medical doctors are free to leave Nigeria and practice elsewhere because the country has surplus doctors, wondered why President Muhammadu Buhari spent over one year in the UK for medical treatment if the country had surplus doctors.

The Daily Times recalls that Ngige who appeared on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, said he was not bothered about the large number of medical doctors leaving the country.

The minister, who was responding to questions about brain drain and deliberate recruitment of Nigerian doctors by foreign embassies in Nigeria, said: “I am not worried, we have surplus doctors, if we have a surplus, we export.

I was taught Biology and Chemistry by Indian teachers in my secondary school days.

“They are surplus in their country. We have a surplus in the medical profession in our country. I can tell you this. It is my area, we have excess. We have enough, more than enough, quote me.

“There is nothing wrong, they go out to sharpen their skills, earn money and send them back home here. Yes, we have foreign exchange earnings from them, not from oil.”

He also said the number of doctors leaving the country does not amount to brain drain when asked.

“Those guys go there, they are better trained because of the facilities they have there.

Eventually, I know a couple of them who practice abroad but set up medical centres back home. They have CAT scan, MRI scan which even the government hospitals cannot maintain. So, I don’t see any loss.

“Brain drain will only be inimical when for instance neurosurgeons travel and we don’t have neurosurgeons here.”

Meanwhile, Omokri while reacting to the comment said that Buhari-led government is a “punishment to the Nigerian people.”

‘’What type of arrogance is this? We have enough doctors? Is that why your boss, President Buhari, spent 1 year and 39 days abroad, including over 6 months in a UK clinic? This government is a punishment on the Nigerian people’’, he said.

Other Nigerians who also tackled the minister over comment said the APC-led government already know they are incapable to build health facilities.

Emmanuel Ebosie said: ‘’This is a serious trouble. How can Chris Ngige make such statements? So this is truly what the government thinks about our doctors moving to other countries to practice. Shame’’.