By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

As medical professionals continue to migrate abroad in search of greener pastures, the West African College of Physicians, WACP, has advised members against engaging in such ventures.

Rather, the college tasked them to show patriotism to their countries by staying back to give their invaluable contributions to the development of the health sector.

WACP’s outgoing president, Dr. Rose Macauley, gave the advice while speaking at the opening ceremony of the college’s 48th Annual General Scientific Meeting, AGSM, in Abuja.

Macauley, who was advising the college inductees, emphasised the need for the development of the health sector in the West Africa region.

Noting that West Africa is the continent where they were trained, she reminded them of the sacrifices their people made to their education before they became who they are today.

“We in the college, we encourage ourselves to give back to our society, and not to go away,” she said.

Makauley explained that the college had been able to outline some of the challenges facing the health sector for the government to implement change for better results.

She said: “We are empowered to give recommendations to various governments and encourage them to implement the recommendations.

“We are encouraging the government to make available an enabling environment, particularly for our young doctors, that is the only way we can keep them in the country for them to practice and discourage migration.

“This simply means addressing their personal issues, making sure that they have enough equipment in supply to enable them exercise their profession. “

Speaking also, Dr Mamadou Mourtalla, the President -Elect,  noted that the brain drain of doctors from the Africa region is a big problem that every government from the region needs to show concern.

According to him, the continent has a large number of committed  and educated doctors, and that it is a big problem for Africa young people to go away and give their service to countries that did not made them.

He said that the best way to keep these young Africa doctors was to attend to their situation for them to give their best, while calling on political leaders in West Africa countries to rise to the occasion.

He also advocated to the region political leaders to fund training of these doctors, provide equipment in their various hospitals, and make them to be committed more.

Earlier, Nigeria Health Minister and Social Welfare,  Prof Ali Pate, highlighted the several transition the west Africa region is facing such as political transition.

Others he listed are demographic (population) transition , saying that Africa region is fast urbanising exemplified by Nigeria and epidemiology transition with emergence of infectious diseases.

He also listed economic transition, nothing that the west Africa region economy are changing, as uncertainty is increasing, climatic transition which he said the rainfall pattern has brought  disease like cholera, increase in food production and increase in consumption of process food.

The Minister said that infrastructural investment is still limited in the region, and that the region still depend on donor, while calling for change in the narrative.

He also called for collaboration of countries in the west Africa region to tackle the challenges in the health sector.