Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, has acknowledged the giant strides recorded by her immediate past Chairman and present Chief Medical Director of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI), Prof. Adekunle Ajayi, by honouring him with an Award of Recognition.
The honour, which was conferred on him on Tuesday at the 2019 MDCAN (EKSUTH Branch) Scientific Conference/Annual General Meeting, held at the School of Nursing and Midwifery hall, Ado-Ekiti, was noted to be the pillar of support award in recognition of his legacy project of building EKSUTH MDCAN House while he was the Chairman of the association between 2015 and 2017 shortly before he was appointed CMD.
Prof. Ajayi, who was also a main theme speaker at the conference, never got dehydrated or exhausted as he did justice to the topic “Reducing brain drain in EKSUTH: The role of government and other stakeholders.”
According to him, brain drain was simply defined as the movement of skilled individuals from a less developed area to a more developed area. He identified two different factors that may be responsible for this human resources migration to be push and pull factors.
He noted the push factors -lack of employment opportunity, political instability, security, unsatisfactory working condition, desire for better urban life and lack of freedom, as factors available and militating against individual’s stay where they were.
While pull factors -better economic prospect, higher standard of living, opportunity for higher education and intellectual freedom, were factors available and attracting individuals where they were going.
Prof. Ajayi, however concluded that brain drain was a major problem in Nigeria and that there was nothing peculiar about it in EKSUTH, stating that the problem can be reduced in EKSUTH despite being a national conundrum.
“We can work to reduce brain drain in EKSUTH, and doing this will require addressing many institutional and personal challenges of human resource retention,” he submitted.
The CMD urged the government to improve physical working environment, guarantee remunerations that offer comparative advantages, domesticate human resource-based policies that encourage staff retention, institute conflict-free political environment and finally facilitate establishment of programmes in the Associated University, that is, EKSU to build capacity for staff and family members.
Meanwhile, EKSUTH MDCAN Chairman, Dr Omonisi, in his remark got the shot on Africans, saying, “Although it’s not our culture in Africa to recognise people when they are alive. It is after they have died that we usually give posthumous award. But in this case we have said no, we will recognise Prof. Ajayi and several others in their lifetimes.”
Making the presentation on behalf of the association, the Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Edward Olanipekun, ably represented by the Dean of Students’ Affairs of the school, Prof. Adebayo, congratulated the CMD on his magnetic track records and wished him a hitch-free stay in office.
In his acceptance speech, Prof Ajayi thanked the association for the honour and the recognition, adding that the MDCAN House called “Legacy Project” was not built by him but by the collective efforts of “all of us.”
Also graced the occasion were array of dignitaries in the state, the Chief of Staff to the Ekiti State Governor, Hon. Biodun Omoleye, Ekiti State WHO Coordinator, Dr Mrs Olufunmilola Kolude, EKSUTH CMD, Prof. Kayode Olabanji, FETHI CMAC, Dr Idowu Adebara and EKSUTH CMAC, Dr Olusoji among others.