The 58 Nigerian doctors who were prevented by the Nigeria Immigration Service from boarding a plane to the United Kingdom were expected to earn between £51,384 (N25.1m) and £98,112 (N47.9m) per year depending on the experience they have.
This is according to the advertorial by NES Health Care, a UK-based firm that helps over 150 private hospitals to recruit doctors from all over the world.
The advertorial reads in part, “Are you a doctor with ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and anaesthesia experience, looking for a better work/life balance?
“To apply you will need a minimum of three years post-graduate experience and have 18+ months of ICU and Anaesthesia experience. Salary is from £51,384 to £98,112 dependent on experience. Contract is for a minimum of one year. You will need to hold full GMC Registration with a licence to practice, or be eligible to apply.”
Hundreds of Nigerian doctors had applied for the jobs advertised by NES Health Care as far back as January. They had written the exams and were interviewed via Skype.
Many of them had also been offered employment in the UK and had processed their necessary documents through the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and obtained security clearance from the Nigeria Police Force attesting to the fact that they had no criminal record.
The doctors were also asked to pay £500 (N244, 500) to secure a seat on a chartered aeroplane that would fly from the UK to convey them from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, because Nigeria had not yet lifted the ban on flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was learnt that after the necessary payments had been made by about 58 of the doctors, they made their way to the MMIA but were stopped from traveling by the NIS.
The NIS Spokesman, Sunday James, said in a statement on Friday that the doctors claimed to be going for training but had no visas.
The chartered flight approved for landing in Nigeria was to carry 42 medical doctors for a training program but they were 58 with only two having visas for entry into the UK, a situation that calls for refusal of departure.”
