The outgoing Medical Director, Federal Medical Center (FMC) Abeokuta, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu has said that his Eight year tenure as Medical Director of Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta is full of achievements, saying that he is leaving the Center better than he met it.
According to the Outgoing Medical Director the Federal Medical Center Abeokuta has been able to make a serious impact under his administration as a tertiary medical institution both in infrastructural development and medical exploits.
Musa-Olomu made this known, on Thursday, in Abeokuta, while briefing newsmen as he gives account of his stewardship as the head of the medical center for eight years in office.
Musa Olomu also advised the Federal Government to increase the remuneration of doctors in the country, in order to nip the numbers of doctors going abroad to practice.
Recall that the World Health Organization (WHO) had in 2025 research, estimated that Nigeria has a doctor-to-patient ratio of approximately 1:9,083, meaning that there is a severe shortage of doctors in the country.
Although the WHO recommended ratio of doctor-to-patient is 1:600, Musa-Olomu however lauds the Federal Government investment in the health sector, especially with the setting up of the Federal University of Medical Sciences in Abeokuta.
He noted that for the country to harness the full potential of its home grown trained medical practitioners, the federal government must also ensure adequate salary structure, in tandem with world best practices is put in place
“The problem we had was that they have condemned medical services to nothing. Although, the government is really taking measures.
“They are increasing admission into medical schools, building pharmacies, laboratory technology, those things are increasing, not that they are reducing the number of doctors, relocating to the US, UK and Europe.
” Let them also give us the incentives that we deserve. Give us the salaries that we deserve as the colonial masters were doing in those days when they treated us as number two immediately after the Director General then doctors will stay.
“You can imagine in this hospital, my doctors separated cancer from the nerves, from the bones and the patient lives again, what are they doing in the US, what are they doing in the UK.
“It was here at FMC that cancer was removed. What is the salary of those doctors, around 700,000 and 800,000. What are they going to do with that and you say they shouldn’t go to where they will be paid 10 million per month that they will be able to take care of their wives and children.
“Many of them have children abroad that cannot afford to pay their bills. How will they be thinking of these social problems and say they want to take care of somebody’s health. They have to take care of themselves.
“Fine, they have invested a lot in the health sector, yes, they are training pharmacists doctors, but they should make sure that their incentives and salaries are paid so that we can stay back and do the necessary things”, he stressed
