South West health blueprint will checkmate brain drain ― DAWN

The Director-General for the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), Mr Seye Oyeleye, has said the blueprint produced for the health sector in the South West would checkmate brain drain and ensure attractive remuneration for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel.

He made this disclosure, on Tuesday, during the regional health roundtable held at DAWN Commission headquarters, Cocoa House, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, which was attended by commissioners for health in the South West states and other stakeholders.

According to Oyeleye, “part of the issues that informed us having a blueprint for the health sector in the South West is brain drain. If you look at a section there, you will find an aspect that talked about medical training, the liberalisation of access to medical training.”

“This is for all medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, because of the growing population, we need to produce more medical personnel. We cannot stop the movement of the people.

“Without dropping the quality, the medical training needs to be revamped, so that those who would go, would go. But, the blueprint would also provide for those who want to stay by ensuring that facilities in the universities and teaching hospitals are of a high and effective standard like Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Teaching Hospital is ranked among the best in Africa.

“Where the facilities are provided and the remuneration is good, we would be on a strong pedestal. We have all these catered for in the blueprint for the health sector in the South West,” Oyeleye posited

Presenting the blueprint, former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said “if the document is properly implemented, there would be an improvement in health and well-being of people living in the South West region.”

He said, “What are trying to do is to demonstrate that the health of our people is paramount and that health and education is very critical to the development of any society. We tried to recreate the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s era where health was at the forefront, where South Western Nigeria was the leader in terms of health as well as education and we think we should bring back that era.”

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