NMA: Increasing Retirement Age of Health Workers will Address Brain Drain

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The first Vice President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Benjamin Olowojebutu, has said increasing the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years will address the problem of brain drain, popularly known as “Japa” in the health sector.

This was as he called for speedy passage of the bill to increase the retirement age of health workers in the country from 60 to 65 and also increase the maximum pensionable years of service from 35 to 40 years.

He said this when he and some members of NMA paid a visit to the member representing Agege federal constituency, Lagos State, Hon. Wale Ahmed, in his office at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja to express appreciation for sponsoring the bill.

The Bill is titled: “A bill for an act to make provisions for the retirement age increment for health workers in Nigeria and for related matters.”

“We are here to say a big thank you to our colleague and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Wale Ahmed, for championing this important bill in the quest for healthcare delivery in this country. This is a way to reverse medical Japa and medical retirement.

“One of the things we realise is that a lot of our doctors have experience, and when they exit after retirement those who replace them are younger colleagues that still need experience.

“So, one of the things to do is to increase their age so that there are more experiences for those younger doctors to learn from when they retire.

“So, we’re glad that we’ve come to see him today, and he has shown a lot more commitment to expedite the bill to become law in this country. And I can assure you, it will improve the morale of doctors in this country.

“It will increase the capacity of training. It will improve the experience of our younger colleagues going forward. So, we’re grateful to God, and we thank him for all he has done. We’re praying that God gives him more strength and more wisdom and also gives him good health in making this dream come through for Nigerian doctors now and beyond.

“We want to appeal to the leadership of the House to look at this bill as a comprehensive bill that will aid healthcare delivery in this country that will support the livelihood of medical doctors that have served this country for a long time, and the passion we have put into this country.

“A lot of our friends have left the country, but some of us are still very dogged and passionate about staying in the country because we are patriotic. We have a lot of passion for the health care of this nation, so we appeal to the leadership of the House to help us expedite this bill and let us enjoy the passion and the commitment we are giving to the Nigerian population,” he said.

Also speaking, the President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, said the bill improves health care service delivery in the country.

“I plead to the leadership of the National Assembly, especially the Federal House of Representatives, the speaker and his able lieutenants to facilitate, to give this bill the urgency it deserves, just like the way they are given the national budget the urgency it deserves because it is going to touch the life of the masses from the cradle. That means, from when they were born to the oldest person in Nigeria.”

On her part, a representative of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Dr Izuagba Kelechi Udoka, lauded the lawmaker for his efforts in pushing the bill.

“I believe with this, it will entice some of the people who have travelled out to come back and then be part of this force to move medical services and delivery,” she said.

In his response, Ahmed said he was only doing his job as a legislator.

He said his primary motive was representing all the people of Nigeria and improving the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria.

 “It also translates to the fact that doctors will be able to stay doctors and other healthcare professionals will be able to stay longer in service to pass on the experience to younger people and to maintain the required number of staff, which had never been enough at any time not to talk of, is now being depleted by migration and by retirement at the age of 60.”