Motion Calling On The State Government To Curb The Issue Of Lack Of Doctors In States Owned Hospitals By Recognising National Association Of Kogi State Medical Students (NAKOMS) And Sponsoring Its Members During Their Academic Years
Rt. Hon Speaker, Distinguished colleagues, I am prompted to come up with this motion which I consider of tremendous public importance having participated at the committee of health’s oversight functions of which I am member to the state’s medical facilities.
It was a sad journey for me because all through I keep asking myself how our health sector deteriorated to the stage and what could be done to rescue our dear state out of the current wilderness. It is unimaginable for a zonal hospital like that of okene which accommodates patients of whatever ailment, accidents and emergency victims from all part of the local governments in the central senatorial district of the state to have just four medical doctors.
Are we to talk of Okengwe general hospital which has just one medical doctor or the sorry state of Ogori/Magongo which has just one medical doctor in the entire local government? It is pathetic to say that the only doctor in one of the local government wasn’t around even around as at the time of our visit, and I asked what if an emergency case is
rushed in, who will assist?
Mr. Speaker, in my quest to see that we remedy this ugly situation of ours I came across this group of Kogi students who calls themselves NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF KOGI STATE MEDICAL STUDENTS with the acronyms
NAKOMS. These are a group of Kogi State medical students in various tertiary institutions all around the country where medicine is offered as a course. They are coordinated in their institutions as they meet and know their numbers.
Distinguished honourable colleagues, to me we can utilise these assets of the state to curb this problem of scanty medical doctors in our various medical facilities if only we sow in them while they are in school to reap out of them when out of school.
What I mean by sowing in them here is that the state government pay their tuition fees while in school from year one to the end of their academic years till they graduate and certified to practice medicine and surgery, while reaping out of them is benefitting from them this professional knowledge they have acquired by practicing in the state’s own medical facilities for at least two years after they are done with their housemanships and NYSC.
This idea I am calling on the state government to imbibe on, is already in practice in states like kano and Jigawa where asides they paying the students tuition fees, certain amounts are given to them as bursary for their upkeeps while in school. Kogi as a state in the northern region where majority of our states are termed as educationally less developed states stands to benefit from this idea too, alas, the reason why we are short of medical practitioners and
the need to improvise.
Prayers:
1- that Kogi State government grants scholarship to kogi state indigenes studying medicine and surgery in various tertiary institutions within and outside Nigeria
2- that the state government also be urged to recognise NAKOMS as a body, partner with it and make use of it to improve our health sector.
Mr. Speaker, My Honourable Colleagues, as you have always exercise your mandates in ensuring to fruition positive motions that is of public concern, I call on you all to support this motion.
I SO MOVE!
Hon. Muhammed Lawi AT Ahmed
ember representing Okene I constituency
