The Nigerian government has revealed that training of resident
doctors had been increasingly challenging due to inadequate funding. The
Minister of Health , Dr Khaliru Hassan, made the declaration at the
56th annual general conference of the Nigerian Medical Association in
Ibadan.
He announced the government has lifted embargo on employment of
resident doctors to federal tertiary health institutions just as it
announced that the residency programme will now be funded through the
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Nigerian Tribune reported
that Hassan said residency training was essential to raise the bar of
healthcare delivery above the ordinary, through sophisticated health
manpower development and carefully designed healthcare delivery system.
The minister said that this will make Nigeria an automatic choice
destinations for medical tourism and declared that the unregulated
situation in the health sector and underfunding were challenges to
improving Nigeria’s health status.
Hassan urged members of NMA to ensure that emergency services are not
interrupted at any time there is industrial unrest, saying“the
overreliance on the Federal Government facilities which are saturated
with obvious funding limitations had created a situation of slow
progress, resulting in abysmal health indices and further contradiction
in the national referral health system which is almost non-existent.”
NMA president, Dr Kayode Obembe, at the event, stated that the
greatest challenge the incoming government will face is ensuring
universal health coverage.
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