The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCB) Most Rev Lucius Ugorji has decried the current level of brain drain facing the Nigerian nation, describing it as very “disturbing and capable of crippling the very existence of the country and its citizens.
Ugorji raised the alarm on Thursday while addressing the matriculating students of the various schools of the Holy Rosary Hospital, Emekuku, Owerri North local council area of Imo State which include the School of Midwifery, School of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Pharmacy Technician and the College of Nursing Science respectfully
He said: “Patriotic Nigerians ought to be extremely disturbed with the growing level of emigration of our professionals to foreign lands”.
He said that it is unfortunate that after spending huge sums of money to train our medical personnel and other professionals, people sadly end up losing them through brain drain.
Archbishop observed with dismay that it is a sad testimonial that Nigerian professionals gladly abandon their own sick people and migrate to the United States, Europe and other foreign lands, to take care of their sick and of course, for better remuneration.
He raised alarm about the possibility of the Japa Syndrome crippling the very existence of the country and its citizens if nothing urgent is done to stem the ugly tide now.
He said: “If we continue to allow our professionals or surreptitiously force our best brains to leave our shores, the ugly effects of government’s inaction, may ultimately affect generations yet unborn.”
While appealing to governments at all levels, to do everything possible to improve the working conditions of the nation’s professionals, Archbishop Ugorji opined that people need to consciously retain their workforce and their services.
He the plans of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese towards establishing a University and Holy Rosary Hospital, Emekuku, will serve as its College of Medicine.
In his own address, the Hospital Director, Rev. Fr. Justin Okoro, said that the hospital, which started in 1932, currently has 52 departments, and 470 staff, including 34 Consultants, who are heads of various departments.
He said that the Nigerian depressed economy is antithetical to management policies and market strategies.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then