Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: Dr Ola Kassim - Are you surprised that this ENIGMA OF OUR TIMES - Dr Biodun Ogungbo resigned from the NATIONAL HOSPITAL ABUJA - These are the things that cause BRAIN DRAINS

Olola Kassim,

Rambling again and wasting words and time. It is the age of those who created the corrupt and antiquated system that is the question not this rambling analysis?

Why are they so riddled with inferiority complex? That is the quedtion.

Cheers.

IBK

On 5 Aug 2014 10:56, "olakassimmd via USA Africa Dialogue Series" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:

 

Ikenna:

 

Dr Ogungbo is right on the mark!

 

I agree with most of Dr Ogungbo's analysis on what hails the Nigerian health care system and the entire

public system in Nigeria. My only point of disagreement is with his emphasis on the age

of the people who are not only making Nigeria a hell on earth but have decided to destroy

Nigeria in the inferno. I will expatiate on the age issue later in this response.

 

I spent the last weekend attending the Annual CME and Family Weekend of the

Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists (CANPAD) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-

a province in Western Canada. The vast majority of the approximately 100 physicians who attended

the academic sessions were under 35. Greater than 95% of these physicians were trained in

Nigerian medical schools.

 

The sentiments expressed by Dr Ogungbo were a common thread in both official and non official private

discussions at the conference.

 

The frustrations expressed by Dr Ogungbo who elected to take his expertise back to Nigeria upon

the completion of his training abroad are shared also by the Nigerian physicians like myself

who are based in the Diaspora who are trying through organizations like ANPA, CANPAD, NIDO

etc. to help improve the healthcare system in Nigeria

 

 

The Nigerian bureaucracy does not only frustrate those

who are working in Nigeria, inclusive of the young and old, but also the Diaspora Nigerian professionals who are trying

to contribute to the improvement of the medical services in Nigeria.

 

We heard from a senior Nigerian orthopedic surgeon who arranged along with his Nigerian and Canadian colleagues

an annual 4- week long medical mission--that brought Nigerian and Canadian orthopedic surgeons anaesthetists

and nurses to the National Hospital the based Abuja Federal Teaching Hospital, the same institution that had just quickly accepted

Dr Ogungbo's resignation. They preferred to get rid of him because in their opinion he was making too many demands.

 

The program was abruptly cancelled after 6 consecutive years without any notice following

the appointment of a new younger MD (medical director) to the institution who is also a physician

 

During its 6 years of existence the program benefited the citizens of Abuja with free hip, knee

and shoulder replacement surgical procedures and also trained local surgeons  and nurses on how to manage

these cases. The organizers of the medical mission also sponsored a young surgeon who came to Canada for one year

to hone his skills. This young surgeon has returned to the same institution to practice.

 

The lead surgeon, Dr A who is based in Nigeria made several unanswered phone calls in an attempt to reach

the new Medical Director just to acquaint him about the benefits of the Medical Missions. He finally succeeded

in reaching the new MD though the young physician  whose training in Canada (inclusive of tuition, accomodation

and allowances) was sponsored

by the group of surgeons in Canada. The telephone conversion with the new MD lasted only a few minutes during which the new MD told

the Nigerian-Canadian surgeon that he does not discuss this kind of issue during a telephone conversation.

He gave the surgeon an appointment to see him in Abuja the following week.

 Dr A, still eager to restart the program

quickly bought a return ticket to Abuja for the following week using his own private funds.

To his surprise the conversation in the office of the new MD lasted only a few minutes longer than the one

on the phone  a week earlier. The new MD told Dr A that he is sick and tired of foreign trained Nigerian

physicians coming to dictate to those Nigerians based at home how to treat and manage their patients.

He requested that his secretary bring into his office the young surgeon who had earlier been sponsored

to train in Canada. Pointing to this young surgeon, who was by them visibly shaking in his boots the MD

was quoted to have posed this question to him in the presence of Dr A.

"What is so special about what you were taught in Canada that you are not getting from the senior

consultants you already have in our hospital?"

 

Needless to say, Dr A left the conversation and returned to his base in Vancouver,

British Columbia, Canada not only dejected but out off pocket by the amount he spent on his air ticket

and hotel bills but by the loss of income opportunity that he would have had if he had not made the

journey to Nigeria. I kept wandering during the conversation how one physician could treat an older and

more experienced colleague with so much discourtesy. Where is the principle of professional courtesy

in the interactions between these two physicians?

 

This experience was also related in a private conversation to Ambassador Oniowa, the current

Deputy Ambassador to Canada who represented Ambassador Ojo Madukwe at the conference.

Amb. Oniowa promised to look into the matter. He also advised that the Diaspora should not allow

this kind of unfortunate attitude to deter their efforts to help in Nigeria.

 

The above experience probably replicates itself in all other professional fields in which Diaspora Nigerians

are trying their best either through guilt or propelled by their sense of patriotic duty to contribute

their skills to make positive impacts in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, opportunities for mutual collaboration between Nigeria based professionals and their

Diaspora colleagues are often scuttled by the kind of attitude displayed by the MD of the Abuja

Teaching Hospital.

 

Rather than the chronological age of the cohort of the individuals who are calling the shots

in all sectors in Nigeria, I believe that it is the persistence of the corrupt antiquated ideas that

were bequeathed by the prior generations that is the culprit.

 

The official retirement age in Nigeria is only 60 years. This is still considered middle age in most jurisdictions

in the world where the retirement age is about 70 years and in Canada where there is no longer a mandatory

age of retirement from the public sector.

 

Most of the heads of departments and Directors of government departments in Nigeria are those between 45 and 55.

The average age of the Senate and the HOR is approximately 45 years

Even if we replace all the 'old' people in positions of power in Nigeria today with those who are

under the age of 35, I doubt very much if there would be any significant change.

 

Likewise the private sector  enterprises are headed by those who are in their 50s or below. These are the people who rose to through the corrupt system to the positions of power they currently occupy.. They were the survivors of a

rotten system where  most of the innocent and the young are eaten alive before they reach minority.

Having survived these processes to reach the top, the young leaders now begin to emulate the deficiencies

of the generation which preceded and taught them what they know.

In a sense Nigeria is like George Orwell's

Animal Farm, where the new 'rulers' though a few years younger are behaving in the manner  reminiscent of those

they replaced.

 

The system in Nigeria does not encourage innovation. It is an unforgiving environment which scuttles

the prospects for  bright and young professionals like Dr Ogungbo to succeed. Unfortunately,

I have no other choice but to say a BIG WELCOME back to the Diaspora to Dr Ogungbo--considering that

his specialty--Neurosurgery is so demanding in both physical infrastructure, equipment and supply needs

that it is untenable for one surgeon or a group of surgeons to establish as a private venture.

 

The brain drain continues. There is hardly a month that goes by that I do not receive a call from either a young

recently graduated Nigerian physician either directly or through their relatives in Canada who are looking for

opportunities to emigrate to Canada, the USA or the UK!

 

I am currently engaged through NAMFI--Nigerian American Medical Foundation Inc.--a private non-profit venture formed by a

few Nigerian specialists based in the USA and Canada to bring the most sophisticated Medical Diagnostic Medical Services--

including Laboratory and Imaging to Nigeria--starting in Lagos and Abuja. We are being heavily supported by some private

corporations in Nigeria and by the pioneers of Western Medicine in Nigeria, who though retired currently lament what has become

of their dreams. We, the generation trained by the first generation of Nigerian specialists are determined not to let their

dreams and those of the successive generations die. NAMFI is purposefully for good reasons a fully private--totally non-governmental venture. Beyond obtaining the required licenses to incorporate and establish diagnostic services in Nigeria

we seek no further government involvement in this venture--considering most things touched by the government in Nigeria

either dies or fail to thrive.

 

The problem in Nigeria requires a change in the prevailing cultural attitude--from what is in it for me personally

to what  benefit does this bring to the people of Nigeria?

 

Unfortunately the physicians and surgeons employed by the Federal government remain on strike and the people

are suffering and dying while the FGN and the NMA--the two elephants continue their battle in the jungle,

 

Dr Ogungbo--Welcome Back to the Diaspora! There is nothing in the Holy Books that says that we must live, work and

die in the same jurisdiction in which we were born!

 

Bye,

 

Ola

 

 

---- Original Message ----
From: Ikenna Okonkwo <biokonkwo1@gmail.com>
To: okonkwonetworks@googlegroups.com <OKONKWONETWORKS@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Ikenna Okonkwo <biokonkwo1@gmail.com>; BIODUN OGUNGBO <ogungbo@btinternet.com>
Sent: Mon, Aug 4, 2014 12:37 pm
Subject: Dr Ola Kassim - Are you surprised that this ENIGMA OF OUR TIMES - Dr Biodun Ogungbo resigned from the NATIONAL HOSPITAL ABUJA - These are the things that cause BRAIN DRAINS

How our old people eat the young

AUGUST 4, 2014 BY BIODUN OGUNGBO 

Dr. Biodun Ogungbo

One

My resignation from the National Hospital, Abuja, after seven months as neurosurgeon was accepted within minutes. Alas, it was not a match made in heaven. I was unhappy not to have the right conditions to practise.

The hospital felt I was too demanding and perhaps surplus to requirement. This, in a country with a serious famine of doctors, let alone trained neurosurgeons! You would think that our hospitals will recognise talent, welcome change and celebrate innovative practices. But, for reasons you will see later, maintaining the status quo and mediocrity favours some people.

Thus, many talents are ruined daily in Nigeria.

Two

A young surgeon went to train in Endoscopy (using small cameras to see inside the body) and returned to Nigeria, full of hope and promises. In fact, the trainers were so impressed with his hand/eye coordination they decided to locate a training facility in Nigeria, so that more Nigerian doctors could be trained and so provide a much-needed service. Unfortunately, they did not realise there was a Nigerian sickness of ‘What’s in it for me’ to scupper their best laid plans. They did not understand why ‘they’ had to plead, beg and bribe some people before spending their own money, time and effort on Nigerians.

The facility has now been established in another country. We lose!

Three

Another Nigerian, who is an IT specialist and entrepreneur, went to the people in the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency a few years ago with grand ideas and plans to establish a national emergency telephone number similar to what obtains in the UK (999) and the USA (911). As usual, the plans were killed in similar fashion to the story above (What’s in it for me?). We are, of course, no further forward and you have to dial almost eleven numbers in an emergency and still get to no one in particular.

In fact, if you do get through, they are likely to ask you to come fetch them!

Do we have brains?

My dear friend, Dr. O, once asked me if Nigerians have black brains. They don’t. We don’t. In my operations on the brains of Nigerians, the colour and consistency are similar to other peoples’ brains. Our problem is, therefore, not one of the colour or a structural brain defect. I submit that it stems from persistence of crazy, old, inadequate people running the day-to-day affairs of our motherland. In all aspects of Nigerian life, there are ‘mummies’ who are simply too jaded to know they are dragging us down.

Old buggers

Many of the people in positions of power and grand puppet masters are old, decrepit chaps without enough neurons between them. These people have short-term memory loss. All they remember is what happened 30 or 40 years ago — stuff that cannot be applied today. They do not remember what happened at breakfast, so they cannot plan for tomorrow. They do not understand science and technology and are truly brain challenged. Or else, why are we moving backwards with speed, while the rest of the world is making huge advances?

It is my considered opinion that the elderly people in Nigeria are a cog in the wheel of progress.

Money

(Love of) money is the root of this evil. The lack of money is a big issue for these people. The real reason why they persist in government and in positions of power is that they have failed. They have failed as human beings, as people, and as Nigerians. These people have failed publicly, privately and yet we entrust our collective future in their hands.

They have failed to invest in economic prosperity that ensures a good quality of life in their old age. Hence, without a cushioning, they stay longer at work and end up destroying whatever they have built. They cannot move forward and so no one else must move. They cannot be shoved aside, as they are the original cats with nine lives and they constantly reinvent themselves.

No plans

They have failed to cater for the future by providing safe, comfortable retirement pensions and benefits. They build roads that disappear, refineries that import oil, hospitals that crumble and banks that lose money. They have not provided side-walks for wheel chairs since they think they are infallible. Some even expect to live forever, forgetting that hypertension, diabetes and stroke accompany old age.

Yet, the elderly people in Nigeria do not welcome change and innovation. In all aspects of life, they are destroying instead of mentoring. They use culture, religion and other vices to tether young minds, forever keeping us all in the dark ages. These people are snakes, slithering and slumming through grime, gobbling up the young as they moult, shed their skins and conceive themselves.

You simply cannot rely on a nest egg in Nigeria. You will find that snakes have eaten the nest, eggs and the young ones. The young people in positions of power now must not make the same mistakes. It’s your life, our lives; so, let us plan for a better future for all Nigerians.

NB: You should feel free to give an opinion and to share widely.

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