The federal government is wooing medical students and other health professionals to join the military in order to boost the number of medical personnel in the services, and reduce the effect of japa syndrome in the service.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, said this on Tuesday December 12, during Defence Health Maintenance stakeholders meeting in Abuja.
Matawalle, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Abubakar Kana, said government is also set to build a world class veterans hospital in Abuja to cater for the health needs of retired military personnel in the country.
He said it was part of the reform being undertaken by the government to establish the Armed Forces Medical College. He said: “Part of the reform is to increase the number of military medical personnel, consultants and interns. “Already we have concluded arrangements to build 100 bed accomodations at 44 Reference Hospital in Kaduna for interns.
“This is geared towards building the armed forces medical college. This is not to just train the medical doctors but nurses and other health personnel. “The japa syndrome has also affected the armed forces. To solve this problem we are visiting universities to encourage medical students to join the military. We want to entice them by providing them with good incentives.
“Before now it rare to see military personnel receive medical care outside the military hospital, but that has changed. We want to bring back that lost glory. “We want to build a world class medical facility for veterans in Abuja. “It is part of the reform of the federal government. But it is not only about the facility but also about care and strengthening the military health system in Nigeria.
The minister said that the establishment of Defence Health Insurance is a worthwhile investment that is well positioned to provide the full length of coverage for both serving and retired military personnel, and their families. He said: “The role of the armed forces is to protect the integrity of Nigeria, and anybody that enrolls in the armed forces has put his or her life on the line, hence there is no need to limit the coverage of health insurance for the armed forces.
“People that have served this country shouldn’t be paying for maintaining their health from their pockets. “We have written to President Bola Tinubu on the need to remove Defence Health Insurance from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), so that the Defence Health Insurance can provide full coverage for military personnel serving and retired.”
