'Where are the doctors?'

BY DAVID KISANGA

18th November 2013.

  Research: Two out of every five not practising profession

SIKIKA

Despite huge costs incurred in educating them, it has been established that two out of every five medical doctors in Tanzania are not practising their profession.

Research conducted between August and October 2012 by Sikika, a non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) tracked at least 2,246 medicine graduates and found that least 890 did not stay in the field after graduating.

In addition, another 964 doctors of the 2,246 – 42.9 percent – are not working on full time basis in the hospital.
Some are said to be pursuing further studies, working in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in health or non-health related institutions or were suspended.
Briefing journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday SIKIKA Executive Director, Irenei Kiria, said that among the tracked doctors; almost half of them were from Mwanza, Dar es Salaam, Mbeya and Kilimanjaro regions.
Dar es Salaam alone accounted for a total of 725 graduates, equivalent to 32 percent of those.

“Though the government has been putting efforts in increasing health training institutions and supporting students in medical studies, it is only a few of the graduates who go on to practice medicine,” he said, posing a question: “Where are the doctors?”.

According to Kiria, 40 percent of medical doctors are not working in the health sector, while 43 percent are practising clinical medicine on full time basis and the remaining 17 percent are working in NGOs and health institutions.

The study also pointed out that nearly half of the 2003 graduates (48 out of 107) were not practising clinical medicines, but in 2004 there was an improvement with 68 out of 102 equivalent to two out of three, practising the profession.

In 2008 more than three quarters, (176 out of 224) graduates and 155 out of 206 of 2009 graduates were practicing clinical medicines.

However, Kiria noted that about 246 out 290 (85 percent) of the tracked medical doctors who got their degrees in 2011 were not practising clinical medicine, while almost all the 2012 graduates (96 out of 101) were practicing clinical medicine.

Kiria noted: “The study is actual not aimed to find out what has contributed to such a problem, but to alert the government and ask why this is happening to the health sector.”

Based on the findings, Kiria pointed out that Sikika and MAT recommended measures the government needs to take to attract and retain an adequate and qualified health workforce.

He said that there is a need to put in place new systems, rules and regulations to influence doctors in other jobs to devote some time to clinical healthcare delivery in order to reduce workload of those working full time in hospitals.

“There is also a need to have a system that will enable the health ministry track medical doctors and other healthcare workers from the day they graduate onwards,” he said.

For his part, Medical Association of Tanzania President, Dr Primus Saidia, noted that since majority of doctors reside in major towns, there is a need for improved infrastructure for transportation in rural areas and create a better referral system that will make it easier for people to access quality services.

Furthermore, he said that research should be conducted into the factors that cause a high number of graduate medical doctors to abandon clinical medical practice in hospitals.

“This has an economic effect on the nation as the government invests heavily in educating them but they end up somewhere else without practising what they learned,” he said.

Saidia said it costs the government a lot of money to send patients abroad for treatment due to poor health systems available the country.
He also advised the government to sit with doctors so as to find out why they are opting for other jobs apart from what they studied. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN