Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has called on health institutions in Nigeria to incorporate modern trends in medical science, such as biomedical engineering and emergency medicine, as part of efforts to stem the rising brain drain in the health sector.
The Governor made the call on Thursday when the Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) High Impact Intervention in Medical Sciences visited Government House, Yenagoa. Represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Diri described the country’s medical practice as still “very traditional,” stressing that Nigeria can achieve improved healthcare delivery with the right political will and commitment from all stakeholders.
He noted that integrating biomedical engineering and emergency medicine into the curricula of medical institutions, alongside upgrading infrastructure, would help retain highly qualified medical professionals and reduce their migration abroad in search of better opportunities. Underscoring the importance of health and education, Governor Diri assured that his administration would continue to inject resources into both sectors to enhance the living standards of Bayelsans.
While expressing appreciation to the Minister of Education and the Executive Secretary of TETFUND for their intervention project at the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU), he reaffirmed the state’s readiness to collaborate with relevant agencies to improve infrastructure across all tertiary institutions in the state. “We are quite excited and we extend our appreciation and gratitude to the Minister of Education and the Executive Secretary of TETFUND for looking towards our direction. We have been seeking partnerships like this to enable us do better. We are happy you are focused on an area where we face real challenges, and your efforts will go a long way in retaining our health manpower,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the TETFUND Ministerial Monitoring Team, Professor Saad Ahmed, who is also the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, explained that the special high-impact project was initiated by the Federal Government to address the steady emigration of health workers. He said part of the strategy was to increase the production of skilled manpower, noting that funds had been allocated to 18 medical schools nationwide for infrastructure and equipment, particularly in medicine, dentistry, nursing sciences, and pharmacy. He added that a separate fund would soon be made available for hostel accommodation.
The TETFUND delegation also included the Director of Physical Infrastructure Department, Mr. Y.M. Ashuru, and the Deputy Director, Dr. Yusuf Gamawa. They were accompanied by senior management staff of the Bayelsa Medical University, including the Vice Chancellor, Professor Dimie Ogoina.
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