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Senator Rilwan Akanbi, representing Oyo South, has advised the Federal Ministry of Health to collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop a data bank of Nigerian medical and health professionals currently working abroad.
The Senator gave the advise recently while decrying the high rate of brain drain in the health sector.
Speaking recently at the 2017 Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni (ICOMAA) Day Celebration, Senator Akanbi regretted that Nigerian medical and health professionals were being driven out of the contry by factors such as poor salary and emoluments, low work satisfaction due to poor working conditions, inadequate opportunities for career progression, poor quality of practice due to lack of equipment, and poor treatment of the sector by the government among others.
He also said there was need to map the various groups and associations of Nigerians in that category with a view to creating incentives for them to return and offer medical and health services back home, even if on temporary rotational basis.
He said “this will yield two benefits: First; it will boost access to high quality healthcare. Second; it will enable knowledge and technology transfer. In the process, Nigerian would have succeeded in transforming brain drain to brain gain”.
According to the senator, “The brain drain which resulted from lack of investment in the health sector has crystalized into ‘patient drain’, especially for the wealthy who could afford the cost of care abroad”.
He added: “Astonishingly, Nigerian medical tourists, like their counterparts in higher education, sometimes end up being treated by no other than their fellow countrymen and women in foreign medical facilities”
Senator Akanbi is the founder and sole financier of the Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi Fondation (RAAF), an NGO that has been impacting many in the health care sector for the past 11 years.
At the event, he was honoured with an award of “Chairman” of the alumni group, for his immense contributions.
Speaking at the occasion, ICOMAA President Worldwide, Dr. Abib Olamitoye who is also the CEO/CMD of Ibadan Central Hospital, Ibadan, described Akanbi as “a reformer, a go-getter, a mover and shaker in corporate social responsibility, a well-known philanthropist, the darling of the people, a benevolent benefactor, a seasoned political heavy weight, who is seated today as our chairman”.
Some prominent ICOMAA members include Emeritus Prof. O.O Akinkugbe, Emeritus Prof.E.Oluwole Akande, Prof. E.Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa (Provost,College of Medicine,UI) , Prof.Isaac Adewole(Minister for Health),Prof. M.T Shokunbi, Prof. Temitope Alonge(CMD,University College Hospital, Ibadan), Dr. Abib Olamitoye (CEO, Ibadan Central Hospital, Ibadan) and several others.