Minister Blames Health Sector Woes On Poor Funding, Brain Drain

Coordinating minister for health and social services, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, has identified poor funding, brain drain, obsolete equipment as well as lack of facilities as the major problems of Nigeria’s health sector.

The minister made the assertion in an address he delivered yesterday at the 13th Biennial Delegates’ Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) in Kano.

Represented by the chief medical director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Prof Abdurrahman Sheshe, the minister said, “I recognise the fact that there are problems facing the medical sector in the country that include poor funding, brain drain, lack of facilities, obsolete equipment, lack of enough workers and facilities especially in the rural areas.

“All these are part of what the current administration is working to change in order to enhance the health sector.

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“The situation has caused a lot of problems that have to do with maternal mortality and various others.

“The government is going to work hand-in-hand with all those that are willing to contribute towards resolving these problems, especially the MDCAN, to whom my doors will always remain open for advice and suggestions,” he said.

The theme of the conference was “Medical Education in Nigeria at a Crossroads, Challenges of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education and Way Forward”.

Pate called on medical practitioners to support the government as it cannot do it all alone.

Kano State governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who opened the conference, promised to cooperate with the medical personnel and also implement the policies that will benefit the grassroots.

His representative and commissioner for health, Dr Labaran Yusuf Abubakar, expressed his goodwill to MDCAN.

The immediate past president of the National Postgraduates Medical College, Prof Musa Muhammad, who delivered a lecture titled: “Challenges and Way Forward”, stressed the need to do the right thing for the sector to advance. He decried the level of poor quality of personnel being produced due to lack of manpower.

Earlier in his welcome address, the president of MDCAN Dr Victor Makanjuola described the theme as extremely important and timely.

He said medical education, just as clinical service delivery is taking a big hit from the exodus of consultants from the country for greener pastures, adding that the need to have frank discussion and innovate how to speedily address these challenges cannot be over emphasised.