Saudi headhunt 500 Nigerian doctors

Over 500 doctors in Abuja turned up at a recruitment meet the Saudi health ministry organised to pick Nigerian doctors for work in Saudi Arabia.

The exercise which commenced at 7 am continued way past afternoon with more doctors joining after others have done the interview and left.

Correspondents observed a large crowd of doctors within and outside the building during the exercise.

Successful candidates will have the chance to work in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Ministry of Health had earlier called on doctors with different specialties to attend the interview for employment.

The specialties are anesthesia, ICU, pediatric surgery, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, ENT, and emergency medicine.

Others are all sub-specialties of internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, radiology, and hematology.

Daily Trust learnt that the recruitment exercise was being conducted by an agency on behalf of the Saudi Ministry of Health and that other agencies will still hold recruitment exercise this Thursday in Abuja, and other parts of the country like Lagos in coming days.

Doctors have said that poor remuneration, inadequate manpower, poor health facilities and equipment, and insecurity are some of the reasons making them seek greener pastures abroad.

Experts however warn that the mass exodus of doctors portends danger for the country‘s already weak health system and attendant dearth of manpower.

A gynaecologist who spoke on condition of anonymity lamented that President Muhamamdu Buhari seeks medical care outside the country but leaves the salaries of those providing medical care in the country unpaid for months.

He said, “We cannot really survive where Mr President goes out of the country for medical treatment, while for the past ten months now, most of us have not been paid, and those who are paid are paid half salaries.

” I need to take care of my family. Why is the government not taking care of the health sector? After going through rigorous training for six years, it is not worth it to come out struggling to feed your family. I have been working 48 hours at a stretch with nothing to show.”

A paediatrician who also craved anonymity said the working environment for doctors in the country was pitiable and they had no option than to leave.

He said , “There are more than 500 specialist doctors here wanting to leave the country and they are coming from various teaching hospitals, federal medical centers and specialists hospitals.

“So Saudi Arabia wants the best for her people, the officials come here, collect the best from Nigeria, and put them in their hospitals for their people to benefit from our expertise .”

Asked his advice for the government, he said the government could make the country’s health system work if it wants to make it work.

“The advice is very straightforward. Let the health system work, remunerate doctors properly, provide the required tools for them to work with, and this trend of brain drain will stop.

“Home is home, nobody will want to leave if the working condition is good. Here we are frustrated in our workplaces, and sometimes contribute money to buy drugs for patients. The government knows what to do. Once they do the right thing, the trend will stop, ” he said.