Collaboration crucial to addressing brain drain in health sector – Commissioner

By Dayo Adu

Medical professionals need to collaborate with the government in formulating innovative healthcare policies that would improve medical practices to address brain drain in the country.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi stated this in Ibadan while delivering the 48th Annual Scientific Conference and General Meeting of the Nigerian Society for Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NSHBT).

Professor Abayomi, advocated the need to bring medicine back to the mainstream economy through proper insurance tariffs which according to him would activate brain gain and enhace medical tourism.

While suggesting that mass production of medical professionals would address shortage of manpower, Prof Abayomi equally charged Haematologists to replicate themselves by making their speciality lucrative and lobby government to initiative policies in their favour.

Earlier, in an address of welcome, President, Nigerian Society for Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NSHBT), Professor Omolade Awodu enjoined medical professionals to upgrade their knowledge in medical care and leverage on the potentials of Artificial intelligence for seamless patients care.

Chairman on the occasion , Prof Fola Esan who identified systemic instability in the country as a huge factor affecting the health sector encouraged medical professionals to focus on making the society healthy.

The conference afforded the medical professionals the opportunities to interact, review knowledge and other concerns that would bring them at par with their contemporaries across the world.