Lawmakers in the lower chambers of the National Assembly are seeking to pass a law that prohibits Nigerian trained-medical or dental practitioner graduates from migrating to other countries until they have worked in Nigeria for at least five years after graduation.
The bill which is sponsored by the House of Representative member representing Oshodi-Isolo constituency, Lagos state, Ganiyu Abiodun Johnson, and is going to the second reading stage, also seeks to prevent these medical graduates from being granted full licenses until the completion of the compulsory 5 years practice.
According to the lawmakers, the bill is part of the measures being put in place to halt the increasing number of medical doctors leaving Nigeria for other countries in search of 'greener pastures.'
Johnson told the House that it was only fair for medical practitioners, who enjoyed taxpayer subsidies on their training, to "give back to the society" by working for a minimum number of years in Nigeria before exporting their skills abroad. A majority of lawmakers supported the bill, though a number of them called for flexibility and options in the envisaged law.
One member, Rep. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, opposed the bill on the grounds that it was more like enslavement to tie a doctor down for five years in Nigeria, post-graduation, before seeking employment in a foreign country.
