Dr. Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State, has encouraged the federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, to improve health worker pay and spend more in the health sector in order to curb the brain drain that is occurring in the nation’s health system.
At yesterday’s induction/oath-taking of 65 recently graduated medical professionals from PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Odili made the request and praised President Tinubu for his audacious plans in the field of health.
This came after Pamo University’s administration was praised by Prof. Fatima Kyari, Chief Executive Officer of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), for their dedication to influencing the healthcare system.
Dr. Odili, the institution’s founder and pro-chancellor, revealed in his introductory remarks that in the less than eight years since it opened, PUMS has graduated more than 330 medical professionals.
Odili noted that the nation would have enough medical professionals and would not be impacted by an unprecedented migration overseas in search of better opportunities if other schools could advance at the same rate as PUMS.
“As the contact, let me take this opportunity, Madam Registrar, to express my gratitude to Mr. President for his extensive initiative in the health sector,” he added. We commend him and urge him to focus especially on health professional training, as they are the key to the health of the country. A prosperous country is one that is in good health.
Prioritizing our health over our wealth is crucial. Therefore, commend Tinubu and call on the federal government to increase funding and examine the pay review for health professionals. In this manner, we would accomplish two goals at once.
Odili went on: “We are incredibly happy and grateful to Almighty God for the advancements PUMS has made in the fewer than eight years that it has been in operation.
We are welcoming the third group of physicians today. Additionally, PUMS has added at least 330 healthcare workers throughout its brief history. You can only think what would occur if every other school in the nation moved as quickly as PUMS is. No one will be concerned about who relocates, fleeing with Japanese people, or whatever they call it, in search of better opportunities.
Odili commended the Rivers State Government for launching a scholarship program for indigenous students pursuing medical sciences degrees at the university and urged other state governments nationwide to follow in its footsteps and give their indigenous citizens a chance to pursue careers in the medical sciences.
Nobody will be concerned about Japan if other states follow Rivers’ example and search for better opportunities. You won’t miss the departing health experts if you have an abundance of them.
I would want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Rivers State Government, and in particular to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for initiating and maintaining the scholarships for indigenous students.
Odili emphasized, “We encourage other states to emulate the Rivers State government, as you would have established the groundwork for good health throughout the nation by the end of it.”
When introducing the graduates, MDCN Registrar Prof. Kyari said that the induction of the MDCN had not been compromised and that the graduates deserved to take the oath.
She added that the graduates “should be mindful of the significance of your contribution in the health sector” and urged them to be good representatives of the council and the institution.
Prof. Kyari further cautioned that anyone engaging in any unwholesome behavior would face appropriate council sanctions, and urged them to view their line of work as a calling rather than a profession.
Noting that “the span has grown from strength to strength at Pamo University,” she praised Odili for providing women with the competitive advantage within the institution.
The induction presenter, Prof. John Ikimalo, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, spoke on the topic of “The Doctor – Honouring a Calling, Not Just a Profession.” He counseled the graduates to view practicing medicine as a vocation rather than a career.
He cautioned the graduates not to forget their humanity or misuse the faith that patients place in them, saying that the medical field runs the risk of being perceived as a commerce when a practitioner views it merely as a means of accumulating wealth.
“As a physician, you are treating a human being with a disease, not just a disease. You are caring for a nation, a community, and a family. Maintain that feeling of human connection at all times. You have to follow that calling wherever you go. Just because you are a doctor, patients have faith in you. Trust is a luxury that only physicians possess. Patients will reveal their secrets to you, including those of their unborn children, after taking off their clothing. Honor that trust, please,” he said.
