The President of Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Dr Lateef Taiwo Sheikh, has urged the federal government to curtail the brain-drain of qualified psychiatrists that jet out of the country in pursuit of greener pasture.
He said: “The current situation whereby psychiatrists who were trained with the tax-payers’ funds to help the population are leaving the shores of this country to European, American and Arab countries due to the better conditions of service is worrisome and counterproductive which must be addressed soon”.
Making the statement at the association’s 49th annual and scientific meeting in Lagos, Dr Shekh who is also the immediate past Medical Director of Federal Neuro psychiatric Hospital, Barnawa, Kaduna further said the only way to curtail the situation is through stiff legislative framework that would compel psychiatrists to stay in the country as well as the provision of enough incentives and better conditions of service in the mental health care sector. He warned that if the trend was not checked in good time, it could lead to devastating effect in mental healthcare of the country.
Dr Sheikh said for now, our country is suffering from the insignificant number of psychiatrists with a ratio of about one psychiatrist to three million patients.
“The percentage of psychiatrists in Nigeria presently today is about 0.2 per cent and if you sum it up to a whole number it’s about zero”, he revealed.
He said the mental health sector is in dire straits with this ratio while Nigerians could hardly have access to mental health.
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“So, it is like we don’t have psychiatrists in this country. That is further worsened by brain drain, which is not only affecting psychiatrists, but psychiatrists in training.”
According to him, the moment psychiatrists that have certification or have done something related to psychiatry in Nigeria concluded their training, they secure a visa to Europe, Australia or Canada.”
The APN president blamed both the federal and state governments for turning a blind eye to the brain drain of mental health professionals, while urging them to improve incentives for them so as to retain them in the country.
Dr Sheikh noted that although there have been massive investments inthe training of psychiatrists from primary school up to university level in the country, when they graduate to offer services, they are being lured abroad while governments are doing nothing to stop the ugly trend, a situation he described as pathetic.
He likened brain drain in mental health to the case of a thief and a careless owner who leaves his door ajar, saying, although, the governments cannot tie them down, they could improve their livelihood and source of income to attract them to stay.
On the choice of Lagos as venue for the conference, Dr Sheikh said the state is the best place to discuss germane issues, for it is the first state in the country to work on mental health bill.
