The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Ogun State Branch, on Tuesday, said that fair compensation would serve as motivation to medical doctors to deliver qualitative healthcare services to the people.
This was stated by the NMA State Chairman, Dr. Luqman Ogunjinmi, at a press conference on the 2024 Physicians’ Week/ Scientific Conference with the theme, “Ensuring Universal Applicability in Remuneration: A Panacea to Talent Retention in the Health Industry”.
Ogunjinmi noted that the step would reduced the “Japa” syndrome currently ravaging the health sector.
He said, “We have noticed a troubling trend in recent years, our most qualified and experienced medical professionals who are the backbone of our healthcare system are leaving Nigeria in quest for better opportunities elsewhere.”
The Chairman enjoined his colleagues to continue to be the future of the nation’s health care system by remembering the path they chose to be healers, protectors and advocates Nigerians rely on.
Ogunjinmi appreciated the State Government under the leadership of Prince Dapo Abiodun, for demonstrating a strong commitment towards ensuring and implementing fair remuneration for doctors working in the service of the State.
While calling for the universal implementation of CONMESS wage scale for all doctors, with specifics on the apparent deficiency in salary of clinical lecturers in Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences and Clinical Sciences at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye.
The medical expert urged the government to improve the welfare of healthcare workers, saying that it would curb the menace of healthcare doctors leaving the country to fetch for greener pasture elsewhere.
”We commend the state government in rectifying our salary scales and await implementation by the end of the month.
“We however urged the state to ensure arrears are settled aligning our benefits with our counterparts in the federal institution and other states who have received for over 16 months” he said.
The Guest Speaker at the Conference, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, a Consultant and Public Health Physician spoke on the theme: “Ensuring Universal Applicability in RRemuneration A Panacea to Talent Retention in the Health Industry”
Ipaye, emphasised that there was need for fair and just compensation to be provided to employees regardless of Job specification or location.
Ipaye, a former Commissioner for Health in the state also outlined some challenges of universal applicability remuneration for health workers which includes: funding, economic disparities, administrative complexity, marketing forces. among others.
He also mapped out strategies to ensure universal applicability of the doctor’s pay which includes: policy reforms, increasing funding for the healthcare sectors, motivating physicians by given them incentives based on performance, improving working conditions of health workers, transparency and accountability.
He added that, in addressing the issue of brain drain, the universal applicability renumeration needed to be ensured, saying that if doctors are conveniently paid, their chances of leaving the country would be limited.
He however, called on the governments to invest at least minimum of 70 per cent of the national resources on primary healthcare services in order to meet the health need of people living in rural areas.
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