From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Chief Medical Director, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Darlington Obaseki, yesterday,
said Nigerian medical practitioners have no reason of traveling abroad in search of more money, saying that they are sitting on a gold mine.
He disclosed this in Benin when speaking on the theme “Application of innovations with entrepreneurship skills for sustainable development in our community; A case study with SAVAN at the Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference 2022, an event organized by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN).
Prof. Obaseki said the medical practitioners can make more money in Nigeria if they could look inwards and utilize the opportunities available within them.
Obaseki said it quite unfortunate that in this country, some of those bidding for the contracts for the supply of medical equipment to federal government hospitals are those who do not even have knowledge of the workings of the health sector.
“What I am saying is that, a lot of our colleagues, doctors, nurses, they are all traveling out of the country and when you ask most of them, the primary reason they are traveling, is that, they want more economy benefits which they feel they are not getting enough of here.
“So, they are being better paid over there but meanwhile, the medical field in Nigeria, there is a lot of opportunities of making more money than your salary and a lot of non medically trained persons on this field, making a lot of money and we think that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, they can get into the whole economic value chain of medical practice and make more money and bring more value to the system.
“In any case, they know the field more than the non medical persons.
” So, they should play more on that field. Even in the supply of equipment, even in consultancies, you see, for example, medical equipment being supplied by somebody who does not have any knowledge of the field and meanwhile there are so many laboratory scientists for example, doctors who are very familiar with these equipment if they don’t want to practice again, they can actually go into this area, they will understand it more, they will be able to give us better equipment and at the end of the day, you create more value for the system while also economically benefiting themselves”, he said.
Speaking also, Prof. Eddy Ehikhamenor, appealed to government establishments to continuously encourage volunteerism adding that government actions and inactions can kill the act of volunteerism in the country.
“The government establishments need to continuously encourage volunteerism.
“They should not kill volunteerism by their acts or by their omission, they must realize that Red Cross that was founded in 1863 survived on goodwill till this moment”, he said.
Earlier, chairman, MDCAN, Prof. Paul Adobamen said the lecture was apt stressing that they have learnt that they can make more money while working as health workers.
