The West African College of Physicians has asked doctors in West African countries not to leave but to remain and contribute to the growth of the healthcare system.
The College’s outgoing President, Dr Rose Macauley stated this while speaking with newsmen at the opening ceremony of the college’s 48th Annual General Scientific Meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Macauley, who also inaugurated certain doctors as honorary fellows and members of the College, urged them to contribute to society, particularly in the health sector.
“We want you to stay in your country; don’t leave. We want you to contribute your quota to the development of the health sector in West Africa.
“We in the College encourage ourselves to give back to our society and not to leave, as this is the value of the College,” she said.
She asked the administration to put the recommended changes into action in order to get the health-care system back on track.
“We are empowered to give recommendations to various governments and encourage them to implement these. We are urging the government to create an enabling environment, particularly for our young doctors. This is the only way to keep them in the country, allowing them to practise and discourage migration.
“This means addressing their personal needs and ensuring they have enough equipment to enable them to practise their profession,” Macauley said.
On his part, the President-elect of the College, Dr Mamadou Mourtalla emphasized that brain drain in the health industry is a serious problem that every government must address immediately.
“The African continent has a large number of committed and educated doctors, and it is a serious problem for our young doctors to leave and give their service to countries that did not train them.
“But the best way to retain these young African doctors is to address their challenges so they can give their best,” he said.
