Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire has told Nigerian Doctors eager to relocate to foreign countries that the UK does not pay hazard allowance while Nigeria does.
He said this while making attempts to discourage them from seeking greener pastures in other countries. He equally drew the attention of the doctors to consider the allowance they get besides their salaries.
He admonished those who schooled in the country that staying back in Nigeria was a call to duty. According to him, it was also giving back to the country where they got their professional training.
This came on the backdrop of news in the past week that 58 Nigerian doctors were leaving the country.
According to The Health Minister,
“We were all surprised to hear that they were all at the airport. I think somehow or the other, it was irregular in that many of them did not have visas. I don’t know what evidence you have, maybe it’s a rumour that they have now left the country, I don’t know but nobody should be leaving the country without a visa.
“Those who have been trained by scholarship and they’re on on a job should have a moral responsibility to give back. Even now, we have large numbers of Nigerian Doctors in the UK the United States and Europe who apply to come every year to come and serve, even though they were not even trained here or they were not trained at state expense.
“They have the obligation to come and give back to te community. Its just a moral obligation. So, every year, it is called the Diaspora Health Professionals Initiative. Some of them spend their own money and they come here, bring equipment, materials, commodities. Every year, they come and help us.
“We are trying to make sure that the remuneration is good. I think we are one of the few countries that are actually giving this hazard allowance.
“Now, this UK they are going to, there’s no hazard allowance. They don’t give doctors hazard allowance. You just get your salary, that’s all. I’ve spoken to doctors there and they said it’s part of their job, part of what they’re trained for.
“But here, apart from you salary, we still try to add something to it in the hope that we’re going to attract our people to stay.”
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