By; SANI ALIYU, Zaria
Prof. Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, a Professor of Psychiatry has called on the Federal Government to pay attention to the mental health system of the country to prioritise welfare of the medical practitioners in it.
He made the call during an interactive session with journalists
Professor Sheikh said psychiatric/mental health system has been ignored and neglected in Nigeria.
According to him, the reasons for the incessant migration of psychiatric personnel were not far-fetched.
The psychiatrist listed the reasons as, poor renumeration, neglect of mental health, lack of working facilities, poor working conditions, inflation, lack of incentives, insecurity to economic hardship, among others.
“Although there are different reasons why people migrate, but if the basic ones can be provided, it will go a long to retain many in the country,” he submitted.
Prof. Sheikh, a Professor of psychiatry said that the psychiatric profession is the worst hit by the trending brain drain syndrome ongoing in the country.
He said for every five psychiatric doctors trained in Nigeria, three leave the country to practise abroad.
The don noted that having a psychiatric qualification, experience or certificate was a visa on its own because medical institutions abroad were always looking for such personnel and ready to offer good or enticing remuneration.
“Many practitioners in the psychiatric field have left the country to practise abroad.
“As I am talking to you now, one psychiatric practitioner somewhere is leaving or planning to leave the country to practise abroad, and it is as rampant as that is alarming exodus of health professionals 15,049 Nigerian nurses move to UK in five years.
“In Nigeria, we have only 300 psychiatric doctors and about 2,000 psychiatric nurses and they are moving.
“In U.S. alone, we have over 1,000 psychiatrists excluding the nurses. Similarly, in U.K, Canada and alike, it is almost the same number.
“So, over 5,000 Nigerian psychiatric practitioners are practising outside the country to the detriment of the Nigerian economy.”
