The Federal Government has expressed concern over the alarming rate of emigration among Nigerian medical doctors, revealing that more than 16,000 practitioners have left the country for foreign employment in the past five years
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the 7th annual capacity-building workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA), hosted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
Addressing participants at the event themed “Integrated Healthcare Regulation and Leadership in Building Resilient Health Systems”, Professor Pate said Nigeria is currently facing an exodus of skilled health professionals seeking better opportunities abroad due to economic incentives, improved working conditions, and access to advanced training.
“We are confronted with the challenge of an increasing number of talented healthcare professionals leaving to work in other countries,” he said. “This migration is driven by factors such as economic opportunities, better working environments, and more advanced research infrastructure.”
Reflecting on his own experience, the minister added, “I, too, migrated in the early 1990s. In 1993, I began at the MRC Lab in The Gambia. The drivers haven’t changed much since then.”
He noted that although the migration of healthcare workers is not new, its pace has accelerated significantly. In response, the federal government has doubled admission quotas in medical, pharmacy, and nursing schools to boost the workforce and encourage retention.
“There is hope that with increased training, more will choose to stay or eventually return,” Pate added.
The minister also decried the unequal distribution of doctors across the country, stating that more than 40 per cent are concentrated in Lagos and Abuja, leaving many other regions with inadequate medical coverage. He said while relocation cannot be enforced, the government is working to provide both financial and non-financial incentives to attract professionals to underserved areas.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, also emphasised the need for foreign countries benefiting from Nigeria’s trained professionals to support local capacity building.
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Who no go japa?
No wonder we have few doctors