By Adeola Ogunlade
Developing the leadership, emotional and managerial skills of young doctors in Nigeria for optimal performance, The Dr. Abayomi Ajayi Physicians Mentorship Programme has kick started its six month mentorship programme (Cohort 2) for 14 doctors across Nigeria.
The training, which runs extensively for six months, hopes to enhance their personal and professional performances in four key areas including “Leadership using Emotional Intelligence”, “Planning”, “Self-discovery”, and “Decision Making”.
The Cohort 2 comprises 14 mentees aged between 25 and 35. They are from states including Lagos, Anambra, Oyo, Adamawa, Kaduna, Borno, Rivers, Osun States and Benin Republic.
Speaking in a virtual meeting to herald the programme, Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi said that the programme is set toward enhancing the career growth of young physicians and improve transformational leadership in the medical profession.
He noted that the second edition which commences January, 2022, seeks to avert brain drain in the health sector and to improve doctor’s attitudes towards their colleagues and clients.
Ajayi said “the Mentoring Programme will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3c by promoting the development, training and retention of health workers in Nigeria. It will help to enhance the career growth of young physicians and improve transformative leadership in the medical profession, retain and support physicians in the formative years of their career by equipping them with leadership competences.
He explained further the programme will also provide a forum for experienced women and men to share knowledge and give back to the society,”.
Ajayi reiterated that the mentoring programme is not meant to stop young doctors not to travel abroad, but it is meant to open their eyes to see opportunities in Nigeria.
“We want young professionals to understand that there is a future here in this country. Despite our own challenges, Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million, has many comparative advantages. I am not saying doctors cannot travel abroad to acquire more skills, but after acquiring the skills, we want them to come back to Nigeria,” he added.
Our delivery approach is truly inclusive; action based, universal design learning, which immediately convert knowledge to profitable action. The thematic focus of the mentoring programme is drawn from the visionary directives of imparting leadership skills, developing excellence in character, inspiring the sense of responsibility, building capacity in the mentees.
Ajayi said that in a recent online media report, it was said that Nigeria has lost over 4500 doctors to the United Kingdom (UK) in the last 6 years. In a report by the Guardian newspaper in July 2020, at the height of COVID-19, the UK revised its migration visa rules to encourage more doctors to migrate from countries like Nigeria to the UK.
He said at that time an average of 20 doctors left the shores of Nigeria weekly to the UK. The story is not much different when we see what’s happening in countries like the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa to mention a few. This brain-drain in the medical/healthcare sector should be of tremendous concern to us as a people.
Earlier in her words, the Founder and Lead Consultant of Atunda Consulting and Initiator of African Women in Governance and Geek Girls Africa, Bunmi Adeleye who stated the process of selecting the doctors was rigorous, noted that the mentoring programme will be intensive as participants will undergo one –one mentoring with mentor, nine weeks online training . There will be an assessment of the personality style of mentees and aces to a global leadership community. Speaking on the menace of brain drain in Nigeria, the acting vice chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, said young professionals can change the narrative, adding that “Nigeria is a great country and there are lots of opportunities for young professionals. As mentors, we are here to work with you and bring out the best in you,” she added.