There has been an out flux of medical doctors from Nigeria to other countries of the world simply because the healthcare system in Nigeria is not working and many doctors feel the heat. The problem of doctor underpayment is also another reason Nigeria is losing her best hands in the field of medicine to other countries. However, somebody is working in the right direction to proffer some solutions to some of the challenges in healthcare by mentoring young physicians across the country right.
Popular American actor, Whoopi
Goldberg once said “We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of
the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.”
And this is exactly what topmost Nigerian fertility Doctor, Abayomi Ajayi alongside
eleven other Nigerians started in November 2019 and has continued till date.
Out with an intention to make the practice of medicine better for young
Nigerian doctors, the Physicians Mentoring Programme Physicians Mentoring
Programme targeted some of the best brains in the field of medicine and
attempts to make them become better in their chosen career by getting first
hand training, information and access to proper coaching.
After over a year of
thorough mentorship and coaching, the first cohort of the Physicians Mentoring
Programme had the opportunity of speaking with journalists on Thursday,
December 3, 2020, where they explained in details, what they had learnt in the
space of 12 months and how the mentorship programme has helped to reshape their
career.
The mentoring programme
is designed to provide a forum for young medical professionals and aspiring
medical leaders to develop an on-going relationship by meeting regularly and
discussing matters relating to career development and advancement within an
organised and supportive framework.
City People’s DAMILARE
SALAMI 08155134152 brings you all you need to know
about how young physicians are getting help to solve various problems they are
facing in their career.
Meet
The Mentees
Slightly over twelve
months ago, 12 young doctors across Nigeria had the opportunity to have a
career-changing experience. They were like the guinea pigs of this programme
but have come out better than they were when they started. The first 12
participants are Dr Caleb Anulaobi from Aba, Dr Ajibike Gbajabiamila
from Lagos,
Dr
Demilade Omoniyi from Ibadan, Dr Yejide Okungbaye from Lagos,
Dr
Adeola Fashola from Lagos, Adetola Oladimeji from Abuja,
Dr
Charles Okeke from Lagos, Dr Mariam Al-Hassan from
Abuja, Dr Idaraesit Edem from Lagos, Dr Nneoma Ibe from Asaba,
Dr Olabiyi Olaniran from Nasarawa and Dr Rosemary Anichukwu
from Abuja.
How
Has the Physicians Mentoring Programme Impacted Them?
“I have been taking
stocks of my life and I realized that the mentorship programme has surpassed my
expectations and one of the major things this programme has done to me is that
it has made me audacious. The programme was like a lifeline for me because it kept
me going during the COVID-19 lockdown. It has helped me relate better with my
colleagues and even patients. My mentor and I were just a perfect match and I
have enjoyed so much access. Going into the programme, I was so confused about
life but now I have so much clarity and she has been able to shed light on some
of my grey areas. I look at me
when I started and now and I see a tremendous difference. I am more time
conscious now, my leadership skills have improved, I am more audacious and I
take work more seriously now. I know think medicine broadly, I don’t think
medicine as just clinical but a whole world of its own”. Dr Yejide Okungbaye
said.
“For me, prior to even
applying for the mentorship programme, I was in a very confused state, my past
motivations and interests were taking a back seat to my new discoveries and I
was not where I wanted to be. I kept seeing the same problems without a solution
and I kept wondering how I was going to go about it. Before now I was not
looking in the direction I am now but my contact with my mentor, Mrs Funmi
Babington Ashaye MD/CEO Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Limited made me start
looking into health finance, especially health insurance and I feel more
confident that it is something I look forward to. I realized that we can’t do
much if the money resourced are not being utilized properly and there is still
going to be issues of utilization and lack of solution. More problems coming in
with every single time and with health finance, I believe that I can be opened
up to how to be able to impact utilization especially health insurance. I’m
passionate about healthcare for all and that looks like a very key aspect that
Nigerians need to utilize to achieve the health coverage that we need for
Nigeria. Right now, I can say that I am taking the steps towards starting,” Dr
Mariam Al-Hassan from Abuja said.
Talking
about what the Physicians Mentoring Programme done to the young doctors
professionally, some of them have this to say…
Dr Olaniran Olabiyi, a
medical practitioner at the National Defence College, Nasarawa has this to say.
“Initially, I would rate myself 70 per cent on the scorecard but after
receiving the emotional intelligence coaching session from Ms Maurine, I was
able to identify my personality and the gaps I had in the way I handle things.
I was also able to identify my leadership pattern and how to manage emotion and
people and that has influenced and upgraded my professionalism in the sense that
where I work currently, my name is among the top three doctors as rated by the
nurses and patients and that has been as a result of the mentoring programme.
Secondly, I have leant time management and meeting deadlines in the course of
this mentorship programme. My productivity has also increased and from 70
percent, I can rate myself 90 percent. I
have also learnt how to be a problem solver. The Nigerian healthcare system is
full of challenges but in the course of this programme, I have learnt that we
are here to solve those problems.”
How
has the mentorship program changed the perceptions they had in school about
medical practices in Nigeria?
“The only thing they
thought me in medical school was how to be a doctor. i.e. how to administer
drugs, give injections and diagnose. I didn’t learn presentation, life or
communication skills or any emotional intelligence skill. This programme has
been a journey of relearning and unlearning some things. The training I had as
a medical doctor is that I am the boss or the king. But the first rude shock I
got after this programme is that medicine is now becoming more patient-centred
than doctor centred. The programme has taught me the management part of
medicine which many of my senior colleagues do not know.” Dr Yejide Okungbaye
said.
“A lot of us were taught
to take the next available flight abroad after medical school because this
country can’t work. Leaving school, I have learnt you can’t literally leave
immediately because you have to get your permanent licence. I understand that a
lot of them are saying this out of frustration and I have learnt that there is
no place like home, there are loads of opportunities here and we must harness
them,” Dr Charles Okeke answered.
How
were the mentees recruited?
Bunmi Adeleye, the programme coordinator, revealed that the criteria for recruitment was agreed upon by the mentors who were already on ground before the mentees were recruited. “We were deliberate about the age limit and experience. We advertised through social media and Dr Abayomi’s website and we received applications across the country. There were two stages of interviews. About 200 applications were received before we reduced to the last twelve.
Who
Are The Mentors?
The mentors’ list is rich
and full. It has Dr Abayomi Ajayi, Fertility Expert, MD/CEO Nordica Fertility Centre,
Prof. Bomi Ogedengbe, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Prof. Ebun
Adejuyigbe, Dean, Faculty of Clinical Science, OAU, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, Vice
Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU). Professor Sade Ogunsola, Deputy Vice
Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Oluwarotimi Akinola, Prof. of Obstetrics &
Gynaecology, Dr Abiodun Eke-Aluko, Founder, Premier Hospitals, Lagos, Adekunle
Michael Oyegade, MD, Mopheth Pharmacy, Prof Deji Adekunle (SAN) DG, Nigerian
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS).
Also on the list is Mrs
Funmi Babington Ashaye, MD/CEO Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Limited, Chief
Mrs. Nike Akande, Renowned Industrialist and Investment Expert, Engr. Nnamdi
Agbim, MD/CEO Interkel Group, Lagos.
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