By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
The Pro-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Dr. Peter Otunaya Odili, has urged governments across Nigeria to invest in medical education as a strategy to address the “Japa” syndrome among health workers.
Odili, a former Governor of Rivers State, made the call during the induction and oath-taking ceremony of 65 medical graduates of PAMO University in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He explained that if Nigeria produces more health professionals than it requires, the country would not feel the impact of those leaving for greener pastures abroad.
The former governor lauded President Bola Tinubu for introducing policies aimed at improving the nation’s health system but appealed for greater investment in training.
“Mr President has made laudable initiatives in the health sector. We urge him to pay very close attention to the training of health professionals because they hold the key to the health of the nation. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation,” he said.
Odili commended the Rivers State Government for its scholarship programme that has supported students of the institution since inception, enabling PAMO University to graduate not less than 330 healthcare professionals.
He stressed that if other states replicate Rivers’ model, Nigeria would overcome the challenge of medical brain drain. “If you have more than enough health professionals, you won’t miss those leaving,” Odili noted.
Earlier in his remarks, Acting Vice Chancellor of PAMO University, Prof. Smith I. Jaja, praised Odili’s vision in establishing the university, describing it as a long-term investment in humanity.
Delivering the induction lecture on the theme, The Doctor – Honouring a Calling, Not Just a Profession, Prof. John Ikimalo warned that the medical profession risks being reduced to a trade if practitioners treat it solely as a means of wealth acquisition.
He reminded the graduands that medicine is about human connection. “As a doctor, you’re not just treating a disease; you’re treating a person, a family, and a community. Never lose that sense of humanity,” he urged.
Registrar/CEO of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr. Fatima Kyari, who administered the induction oath, charged the new doctors to uphold the rules guiding medical practice in Nigeria and to protect the trust placed in them by patients.