The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has described the Bill to prevent Nigerian-trained medical doctors from being issued full practicing licenses or allowed to travel abroad for five years as modern-day slavery.
The bill sponsored by Hon. Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson in the House of Representatives is titled, “A Bill for an Act to amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap M379, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to mandate any Nigerian-trained medical and dental practitioner to practice in Nigeria for a minimum of five years before being granted a full license by the council in order to make quality health services available to Nigeria; and for related matters (HB.2130).
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NARD, in a communique issued at the end of its emergency extended National Officers’ Committee (NOC) meeting held virtually, vowed to resist any attempt by the government or any of her agencies to enslave its members under any guise.
The communique reads, “The extended NOC admonishes the House of Representatives that the obnoxious bill as sponsored by Hon. Ganiyu Johnson is a clear definition of modern-day slavery and not in keeping with anything civil and so should be thrown away at this point.
“The extended NOC reiterates that any attempt by the government or any of her agencies to enslave Nigerian Medical Doctors under any guise would be strongly and vehemently resisted by the Association”.
The doctors, however, pledged to work with the government to reverse the trend when the government is ready to come up with genuine solutions to the problem.
NARD urged the Federal Ministry of Health and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to review the current status of the membership certificate of the Postgraduate Colleges with the aim of upgrading it as it used to be and as it is in other West African countries.
It also urged the federal government to keep to agreements reached by the stakeholders constituted by the Federal Ministry of Health on the implementation of the 2023 MRTF and to expedite action on its payment immediately, as any attempt to do otherwise would only throw the health sector into another series of undesired crises.
The communique was signed by the president of NARD, Dr Orji Emeka Innocent, the secretary-general, Dr Chikezie Kelechi and the publicity and social secretary, Dr Umar Musa.