Resident doctors are more comfortable to work in Bayelsa State hospitals because of the welfare incentives and packages introduced by the state government, National President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Osundayo Tope, has said.
“Bayelsa is the only state in Nigeria that has domesticated the Medical Residency Training Act. The import of this is that it has strengthened the human resource for skilled health workers as it has helped with equipment in health institutions.
“We are grappling with shortage of manpower in the country. But domestication of the Residency Training Act will bring more people to come work in this state’s health facilities. And this will improve on the global health security and universal health coverage.
“Part of your valuable achievements is that you have also paid the 2022/2023 medical residency training grant to resident doctors in the state. You have even gone beyond that to implement the skipping and proper placement of doctors, and approval of the revised hazard allowance.”
For his commitment to the welfare of doctors, the NARD leadership presented on Wednesday presented the Champion of Residency Training Award to the state governor, Senator Douye Diri, in Yenagoa.
Tope who made the presentation said Bayelsa was the only state in Nigeria to domesticate the Residency Training Act and that Governor had meticulously implemented its provisions.
He hailed the impact of the healthcare policies of the state government, particularly in residency training, employment and welfare of doctors, saying that the training of doctors had helped with human resource management, recruitment, training of skilled health workers among other policies that were lacking in other states of the country.
He also appreciated the governor for the 2022/2023 medical residency training grant to resident doctors, implementation of proper placement of doctors and approval of their revised hazard allowance.
Tope said other notable achievements in the health sector included renovation of the House Officers quarters at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri as well as implementation of the 35 per cent upward salary review for doctors on call duty, praising the governor for upgrading the state-owned School of Nursing to a College of Nursing and employing more than 500 health workers.
Responding, Diri explained that the zeal to revamp healthcare delivery, manpower and equipment was to discourage brain drain in the sector, saying the health sector was too important to be ignored and that the expertise of its personnel were in demand outside the country after being trained domestically.
His words: “We cannot continue to search for health outside Nigeria when we cannot take care of the very few workers that we already have. There is nothing wrong to also export our skills outside the shores of Nigeria but let it not be to our own detriment.
“That is why my administration is investing heavily in the health sector. We must sustain our capacity and affect the standard of living of our people. Issues of health and education must continue to gain priority from this government.”
