Nigerian Doctors Who Work in UK Hospitals Complain of Exploitation, Long Working Hours
- Doctors recruited from Nigeria and other poor countries to work in UK hospitals have lamented that they are being exploited
- They also say they are so overworked by their employers and they fear that they might put patients' health at risk.
- No fewer than 6,068 medical doctors have moved to the UK since Muhammadu Buhari became Nigerian president in 2015
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London - A BBC investigation has found evidence that some doctors from Nigeria in the United Kingdom are being overworked under conditions not allowed in the National Health Service (NHS).
The British Medical Association has described the situation as "shocking" and says the sector needs to be brought in line with NHS working practices.
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According to data obtained from the General Medical Council (GMC) of the UK, the total number of Nigeria-trained doctors who migrated to the UK as of August 30, 2022 stood at 10,096.
A young Nigerian doctor, Augustine Enekwechi who worked at the private hospital in 2021 said his hours were extreme - on-call 24 hours a day for a week at a time - and that he was unable to leave the hospital grounds.
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His words:
“The tiredness was so intense, he says, there were times he worried he couldn't properly function.
“I knew that working tired puts the patients at risk and puts myself also at risk, as well for litigation. I felt powerless… helpless, you know, constant stress and thinking something could go wrong.”
On his part, Dr Femi Johnson said he was also expected to work 14 to 16-hour days and then be on call overnight.
His words:
“I was burnt out. I was tired, I needed sleep. It's not humanly possible to do that every day for seven days.”
Dr Jenny Vaughan from the Doctors' Association says:
“This is a slave-type work. No doctor in the NHS does more than four nights consecutively because we know that it's frankly not safe., This is a slave-type work with… excess hours, the like of which we thought had been gone 30 years ago.
“It is not acceptable for patients for patient-safety reasons. It is not acceptable for doctors.”
200 Nigerian doctors move to UK in one month
Meanwhile, Punch newspaper reports that no fewer than 200 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed by the government of the United Kingdom in just one month.
According to the report, the GMC licensed at least 200 Nigerian-trained doctors between August 31, 2022, and September 30, 2022.
Resident doctors' faults minister of health's claim on availability of Nigerian doctors
In a related development, the recent comment by Nigeria's minister of health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, that the country has a sufficient number of medical doctors despite the brain drain has angered union workers in the medical sector.
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Godiya Ishaya, said an average of between 200 to 300 of his colleagues leave the country every two months.
He added that last year alone, close to 1,500 emigrated to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, as they have not been counting those who leave for Canada, United States, and other countries.
Nigeria-trained medical workers ranked among top foreigners working at UK hospitals
Recall that a recently released list ranked Nigerian medical workers as among the highest in the United Kingdom.
Doctors, nurses, and midwives trained in Nigeria were ranked first in the country among African countries.
Every year, the British NHS brings the world's finest medical professionals to the nation.
Source: Legit.ng
