Vice President Kashim Shettima has appealed to Nigerian doctors to remain in Nigeria and collaborate with President Bola Tinubu’s administration in its efforts to salvage the nation.

Shettima also urged the doctors to resist the temptation of absconding from the country to offer their services outside the country in a phenomenon colloquially called the “japa syndrome”, adding that Tinubu empathised with the medical professionals who chose to remain in the country.

The VP stated this on Tuesday when the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Medical Association, led by its newly elected President, Prof. Bala Audu, paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa.

In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communication (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima commended the doctors for their contributions to repositioning the health delivery system in Nigeria.

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He urged them to encourage young doctors to specialise in key disciplines of the medical practice and to also check the activities of quacks in the profession.

“President Bola Tinubu has Nigerian doctors at heart. He has a lot of empathy for our medical doctors who have opted to stay put at home, not for lack of offers. Let us stay back and salvage this nation together, this is our country the greatest black nation on earth, and a promising nation that we need to invest in.

“The NMA is one of the most prestigious, preeminent associations in this country. We must commend you for the sacrifices you are making and for staying put in this nation. All hope is not lost because Nigerian doctors are making giant strides, recording milestones in the profession and, most importantly, making tremendous sacrifices to serve this nation.”

On his part, the NMA President, Prof Audu said the executive members were at the Villa to show solidarity for the Tinubu administration, especially on account of its laudable policies in the health sector.

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He also assured the Vice President that the NMA remained patriotic to the nation and would support the health policies of the government to improve healthcare delivery and access to health services for all Nigerians.

“The Nigerian Medical Association has come here today as a partner to your government and a patriotic group of Nigerians dedicated to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda of this government and to ensure that this government delivers quality healthcare to all Nigerians.

“(The NMA) remains patriotic to this nation and will fully support the health policies of your government to drive improvement in quality healthcare delivery and universal access to services to all Nigerians. This committee will work closely with this government, in delivering and implementing the policies of the administration in the healthcare sector. The NMA wants to assure and reassure you that it will play a key role in ensuring stability in the health sector and by extension, stability for this government to deliver on its promises to Nigerians as it has already started doing,” he added.

Audu also applauded the health policies of the Tinubu administration, noting that when fully implemented, the programmes and projects will “increase the training spaces for specialists in the country known as the residency training programme as well as the quality of the postgraduate medical training”.

“We are sure that this government will address the infrastructural needs to be able to sustain the quality of this training as well as the remuneration that will improve the wellbeing of Nigerian doctors to remain and serve in this country,” he stated.