BY SULAYMAN MOHAMMED, Dutse.
The Jigawa State Chapter Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Aminu Abdullahi has lamented that, the state is losing doctors through Brain-Drain as doctors leave the services of the state in droves.
He stated this in an exclusive interview with our reporter in Dutse describing the situation as pathetic saying that, the doctors are moving to other state’s in the country in search of greener pastures leaving behind only 350 doctors in the state.
He said, “The membership of Nigerian Medical Association Jigawa State hovers around 350 doctors across the state, in all facilities both Federal and State owned. They are to cater to about 7 million indigenes of the state.
“Currently the doctor-patient ratio stands at about 1: 21, 000 according to our records, as against the WHO standard of 1:600. The ratio is similar to that of nurses and other health workers in the state. This is one of the worst ratios in the country which will significantly affect our health indices”.
Dr Abdullahi said the NMA in Jigawa while celebrating the 2023 physicians’ week felt the need to create awareness and to call on the attention of all relevant parties to intimate them on issues that are very dear to its members as well as a catalyst to having a robust health care delivery system in the state.
The NMA Chairman lamented that, the state was once the best in its salary structure for medical doctors across the country.
He however said that, since after 2011 when the payment was reviewed, the state has been the least in the country in better monthly pay for doctors and other healthcare providers.
According to him, members of the NMA are leaving the state for other states within the country due to the differences in their monthly take-home payments.
He further lamented that, Jigawa state was at a disadvantage when compared to other states in the federation which he attributed to the parity in monthly payment.
