Manpower Shortage Worries NMA In Rivers

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Rivers State branch, has expressed concern over shortage of manpower in the medical profession in the state.
The NMA also expressed concern over low enrolment of young people into the medical field, stressing that drop in the interest in choice of the discipline was affecting the medical profession.
NMA disclosed this, last Monday, in Port Harcourt while briefing the 57th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Week of the body, with the theme: ‘Medical Professional Advancement: Bridging the Gap in Professionalism.
Speaking, the President of NMA in the state, Dr. Datonye Alasia, said doctors in the state were facing tedious tasks daily, noting that there were few personnel in the hospitals.
Alasia noted that the body had an agreement with the state government on the need to retain retirees for contract jobs, adding NMA was bent on advancing the medical profession in the state.
He said: “We wish to improve the medical services we give to people. We need to help improve the health care of the state.
“There is shortage of personnel in the profession. The ratio is 1 doctor to 4,000 patience. We are really behind. We want to complement on the issue of manpower. We have called on the state government for contract extension for those who have retired so that we will have added manpower.
“We thank God for the establishment of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, an intervention to encourage young people to enrol into medical studies.
“The enrolment of people into medicine has also dropped. We will Institute a programme to encourage people to come into medical studies to give a boost to manpower.
“We will launch a programme to help students pick up career in this area and we will give priority to the females and indigents from rural communities to advance health care delivery and medicine in the state.”
He added: “Every year our universities don’t graduate more than 1,500 students of medicine. There should be a policy to attract people to come into this area. Deliberate policy and incentives should be placed on the science field to motivate young people to find science interesting.
He, however, noted that NMA will also launch a programme in secondary schools to guide young people against the use of hard drugs.