By Ayodele Abere.
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, Professor Adesegun Fatusi, has admonished the newly inducted medical doctors at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, to be ready to invest themselves wholeheartedly in their dreams as he explained that a dream without solid concomitant investment is no dream but a mere daydreaming.
The Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine who was the guest lecturer at the 4th Induction of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, with the theme; “THE LEGACY OF DREAMS”, gave the admonition while delivering the induction lecture of the Fourth Graduating MBBS Set 2022.
Professor Fatusi, considered three subheadings which were; Yesterday’s dream and the privilege of possession, today’s dream and the priority of professionalism as well as tomorrow’s dream and primary of pursuit.
He urged the inductees to dare to have greater dreams and pursue them to leave a lasting impact and contribute to a better world through the legacy of dreams, and decried the alarming rate at which the Nigerian doctors are leaving the country.
Fatusi said the greatest challenge is that the governments are sleeping, adding that they have fire on the roof and they are behaving as if it didn’t matter.
Suggesting the way out, the guest lecturer said, there are ways Nigerian government can convert this migration and brain drain to brain gain. “You can have a policy that says every doctor and every health worker that is trained with government money should be banned for like five years before they are allowed to travel. it’s not as if we’re saying don’t go. But do some minimal service for the country that raised the money to train you. If you are trained with government money, you sign a bond with them to give back to the country.
“You must improve the work conditions of the health workers because if people are happy with what they do and the environment enables them to do what they have been trained to be doing, they would stay. So it’s not all about money. It’s because people are not fulfilled with their work. Also, there are no longer trainings for local market and all our regulatory bodies, medical, nursing, medical lab science and others must be recognised, they must increase the number of spaces given to schools to train.”
“They can be encouraged to train up to hundred. So that when some people go, we will still have enough for the local market. We must improve the entirety of the environment. Many people are leaving because they are afraid of being kidnapped.
“For those who have gone, we must also look at how to get connected with them. In my school for example, there are people who are in the UK that are lecturers, they teach online. Through that way, we can also tap into the greater knowledge they have developed and their competence. If we look at these strategically, we will get there. People will go but we will still have enough for the country”. Professor Fatusi explained.
Lamenting, he said the greatest fear is that tomorrow, we won’t have those to train the doctors. According to him, “that is the greatest fear we don’t talk about because when the trainers are going, if we have students, who will train them? We need to take action if we are serious about our health situation in this country”.
In a separate remark with journalists, the Vice-chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Professor Edward Olanipekun, said the programme which is to be run for six years lasted for nine years. But be that as it may, he said there’s still need to give glory to God that finally, the journey has come to an end.
Olanipekun, appreciated the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for his intervention, noting that there wouldn’t have been medical school in the university again. “I thank him immensely. I also thank the new Governor too, our visitor and an alumnus of the university, His Excellency, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, who has also tried to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor.
“To run a medical school, is capital intensive and it is on this note that we still want to appeal to the visitor, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji to come to our aid. Some of the programmes particularly MBBS programme will be due for reaccreditation next year. We need a lot of support in order to be reaccredited”.
The Vice-chancellor advised the newly inducted doctors to be good ambassadors of the University. He urged them to live by the fact that their profession is a noble one as it is being referred to.
In his welcome address, the Provost, College of Medicine, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. Professor James Olusegun Bamidele also advised the forty seven newly inducted doctors to always consult with their medical colleagues and seniors whenever important medical decisions are to be made especially when in doubt.
“Mind you, being a medical doctor is great, but it comes with a huge responsibility. It is an honour that gives you dignity in the society. It is the conceptual basis of why your patient, a total stranger, will grant you access to his or her most private thoughts, and the most intimate of his/her person.
“Above all, and very important too, you must be ready whenever necessary to make prompt and appropriate referrals. Please remember, there is never a wrong time to do the right thing, and there is never a right time to do the wrong thing”. I strongly advise you to always be faithful to the knowledge, skills and values that you have learnt in this medical school”. The Provost advised