Dr. Ibukun Sonaike — Fellow in Pediatric Critical Care

Highlights of an International Medical Graduate in the US

Around the world, doctors are highly respected for their ability to save lives and their tenacity to undergo the rigorous training that the profession requires. The respect accorded to them and other healthcare workers have hit the roof since the COVID-19 pandemic began, making them and other essential service workers the heroes of the past year.

In Nigeria, many children aspire to be doctors either from their own desires or influenced by their parents, who themselves are medical doctors, or desire to be called Mama/Papa Doctor. It is therefore surprising that a nation with such a large appetite for doctors will neglect their welfare. For example, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has proceeded on three strike actions in the past year, with the most recent one occurring last month (April 2020) and lasting for ten days. Their demands include the government’s failure to honor the agreements of previous strike actions, payment of up to six months of unpaid salaries, and an upward review of the N5,000 ($13) hazard allowance they are paid even in a pandemic.

This deplorable welfare condition has contributed to the ongoing brain drain in the country, which has seen thousands of professionals…