Beware, You Might Be Recruited Into The US Military –Guild Warns

BY CAMI EZENWA

Are you among Nigerian medical personnel considering migrating to the United States to take up jobs in managing corona virus patients?

You need to be careful not to be recruited into the military, the Commonwealth Medical Association has warned.

Recall our story in The Eagle yesterday titled Corona Virus- Nigerian Doctors, Nurses May Begin Mass Exodus To US, which indicated that medics from other countries including Nigerian may want to take advantage of the US government’s move to strengthen its medical response in view of the ravaging corona virus pandemic.

While cautioning Nigerian medical personnel against hasty moves, the President of the CMA, Dr Osahon Enabulele, in an interview with the Punch called on the Federal Government to do everything possible to retain its health workers in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Asserting that if doctors were well treated, they wouldn’t bother to travel abroad he however cautioned doctors who might want to leave the country to be sure they would be protected and that the condition of service would be in their interest before they left.

“So, my advice to Nigerians is that they have to be careful because this is a time of war. And in a time of war, if they recruit you into the military, certainly, you would be on the battlefield and you would likely be in the area that is the most difficult. So, if they want to go, they should be sure of what they would meet there,” he warned.

“If Nigerian doctors are well taken care of, many of them would prefer to stay, but if they are not well taken care of, I see some difficulties in anybody telling them to stay. Again, everybody has a fundamental right to travel or move anywhere to practise.

“I’m a medical doctor and I’d like doctors to stay in Nigeria. However, what has the government put in place to make its employees comfortable? I know we have many doctors and other health professionals who want to work in this country.

“So if the government does the needful, they may not have any reason to leave. Doctors and medical workers who are not gainfully employed or who are being owed (salaries) must find ways to fend for themselves.”

Amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the US Government had on Thursday asked medical professionals with an approved non-immigrant or immigrant visa petition from across the world, including Nigeria, to approach the nearest embassy and apply for a work visa.

“We encourage medical professionals with an approved US non-immigrant or immigrant visa petition (I-129, I-140, or similar) or a certificate of eligibility in an approved exchange visitor programme (DS-2019), particularly those working to treat or mitigate the effects of COVID-19, to review the website of their nearest embassy or consulate for procedures to request a visa appointment,” the US Department of State said in a statement on its website.

The US added that foreign medical professionals already in the country could have their visas extended one year at a time for up to seven years.

Clarifying the statement further on Friday, the US Embassy Nigeria said in a Facebook post that only medical professionals with previously approved H or J petition would receive emergency visa appointments.