This is serious!
The above named association, which comprises all graduates of human health sciences whose training requires a compulsory one-year internship/housemanship program before proceeding on NYSC, wish to draw the attention of the federal government,minister of health ,the senate ,and all concerned nigerians to the above subject matter.
We include:
1. Medical Doctors
2. Dental Officers
3. Dental Therapists
4. Dental Surgeons
5. Dental Technologists
6. Pharmacists
7. Optometrists
8. Radiographers
9. Medical Laboratory Scientists
10. Physiotherapists
11. Dieticians.
1. Medical Doctors
2. Dental Officers
3. Dental Therapists
4. Dental Surgeons
5. Dental Technologists
6. Pharmacists
7. Optometrists
8. Radiographers
9. Medical Laboratory Scientists
10. Physiotherapists
11. Dieticians.
we appreciate the efforts of the government, through the ministry of health geared towards repositioning the Nigerian health sector. It is obvious that they mean well for the sector.
The timing is right therefore to bring to your notice the peril and frustration we prospective interns/house officers are going through in a bid to secure placement for the program and complete our training.
The current system whereby a prospective intern/house officer is allowed to shop for placement personally has done medical training in Nigeria more harm than good.
It is fraughted with so many challenges and anomalies amongst which are:
1. Endangerment of our lives on the Nigerian roads: This is so as every prospective intern/house officer journeys to wherever across the nation a centre calls for recruitment. Most times, those traveling from very far places will have to embark on night trips just to make it to an interview.
2. Regrettable loss of lives from road traffic accidents. The incidence of this sad fate is on the rise.
3. Extortion of money by some centres from unemployed health professionals in the name of registeration/ interview fees.
4. Heavy interference by politicians and society elites. The system is now fraughted with a very high rate of nepotism in the selection process, thereby constantly leaving out those who have no one to project them.
5. Tribalism/ethnic discrimination in the selection process, resulting in several futile trips & wastage of resources.
6. Bribery & corruption in the current system.
7. Periodic (yearly or two-yearly) payment of fees for the renewal of the provisional practising licenses upon failure to personally secure the internship placement before the expiry date on the previously issued license.
8. Multiple placements for the highly connected when many others are yet to secure any.
Sir, the effects of the above challenges on us are not unimaginable. Medical training & practice in Nigeria now leaves much to be desired. Needless to mention the brain drain birthed by these unattended man-made problems.
In order to bring sanity to this training program, we write to request that the government,senate,health ministry and concerned bodies including MDCN(medical and dental council of nigeria) should put an end to our predicaments, and it should apply to all future Nigerian prospective interns/house officers, through the following ways:
I. That government should henceforth (starting with us) institute a posting system by the various license issuing bodies (similar to NYSC posting), where every prospective intern shall be given a minimum options of approved centres for the one year training program in any part of the country to choose from and shall be posted accordingly.
II. That government through the various license issuing bodies should enforce full implementation of approved quotas alloted to centres accredited for internship/housemanship training across the nation. This will cater for the teeming prospective interns roaming the states of the nation in search of the “medical holy grail”.
III. That government should create an active organ of the Federal Ministry of Health solely committed to the affairs of all prospective interns/house officers.
IV. That salaries paid to interns/house officers posted to any centre in the new system will be paid by the primary employer of labour in that centre; and the salaries will be in compliance with the approved salary scaling system for the field such an intern belongs to.
We humbly seek the adoption of this new model because of its manifold benefits to medical training in Nigeria as against the current system faced with the numerous daunting challenges earlier highlighted. We also believe in the efficacy of the model in bringing to a halt the agony we are currently going through.
As you have always done, and as highly revered mentors in the medical profession, we trust that you will oblige our requests. It will also be a step well taken in the right direction towards achieving your repositioning campaign of our ailing health sector.
We are ready to make clarifications on any aspect of this our letter as we look forward to a prompt and urgent response from you.
Thank you ...
..PIHAN rep...(for medical interns)
Government do something
ReplyDeleteReally! Well, I hope it gets to them
ReplyDeleteThis is a call to do something positive.
ReplyDeleteSummary please
ReplyDeleteThis is sooo true....I have friends that have spent a year at home cos of their inability to secure placement for their housemanship program. The tribalism is just too much. Worse part is u must do ur internship within two years
ReplyDeleteI concur to this post. Its high time government does the needful.
ReplyDeleteGovernment needs to set things right.
ReplyDeleteMy brother has been home for 6months now with no placement forth coming, he has travelled the length nd breath of 9ja, spending money nd resources submitting application nd attending interviews still yet nothing. Meanwhile his friend that didn't even pass medical exams is working in a big hospital courtesy his dad.
It was Same thing that took him to portharcourt yesterday when he got robbed in a taxi on getting there.
After paying exuberant fees for medical exams and paying school fees to study abroad plus sleepless nights, this is all he and other medical doctors go through just to get placement for A year internship o.
Which way 9ja sef?
Very serious. The Govt need to look into this and act very fast. We can't be losing our best doctors to hospitals overseas
ReplyDeleteVery serious issues raised. I hope this gets to the appropriate authority and fast actions taken on their behalf cos it's so frustrating.
ReplyDeletehhhhmmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteMost doctors have done internship 10 times,very greedy set of people...We Wey no get plenty teaching hospitals for internship are suffering more COs of no equipped dietetic kitchens.Abeg govt look into this.
ReplyDeleteOgbeni sharrap
DeleteClarion call to the government and the appropriate authorities in charge. A state of emergency should be declared on internship placement. Else I foresees calamity.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much @ stella for posting this.....I spent 1yr plus at home b4 I could get internship placement.... My friend has spent 2yrs plus yet no placement.... Govt sud really look into this....its really bad.. God bless u stella
Deletegovernment please do something oh. this is serious and provoking. we need a change to the issue of expired license, travelling for interview isn"t funny. I just got where to do housemansp after spending 7months at home. for those docs doing housejob more dan once, you cant blame them, work nor dey d country. only the medics will undastd, bt am not saying its a gd tin. we need a reconstructed medical sector.
ReplyDelete