Key Highlights
- Nigerian doctors are leaving the country, leading to a brain drain in the healthcare industry.
- Many trained doctors are unemployed in Nigeria despite the brain drain.
- Factors driving doctors to leave include low pay, insecurity, inadequate facilities, and poor working conditions. Urgent action is needed to address these challenges and retain healthcare professionals in Nigeria.
The outflow of Nigerian doctors leaving the country in search of better opportunities overseas alarmed the NMA President.
Despite the brain drain in the country’s healthcare industry, according to Dr. Uche Rowland Ojinmah, President of the Nigerian Medical Association, many trained doctors are still unemployed in Nigeria.
Recall that Hon. Ganiyu Johnson, a politician from Lagos, introduced a bill that would have required Nigerian doctors to practice there for a minimum of five years before receiving a full license to practice.
Approximately 4.2% of the national budget was allocated to the health sector in 2022, which is far less than the minimum 15% recommended by the African Union (AU) at the Abuja Declaration.
Ojinmah countered that there were still a lot of unemployed doctors in the nation despite the large number of medical professionals fleeing the nation.
Even though doctors are leaving, he continued, “Some are still unemployed, and there is a rumor that they have a one-for-one policy and will start replacing those who leave right away.
The main driving forces for most Nigerian doctors’ desire to leave their country for professional practice are low pay, increased insecurity, and inadequate diagnostic facilities. Due to the predictable drawbacks of a physician shortage in the system, the observed pattern portends peril for the nation’s healthcare system.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:600; Nigeria currently has a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:4,000. According to medical experts, Nigeria will need about 100 years to produce the necessary number of doctors for its population, even if no doctors leave the country after completing their training. The issue is unlikely to get better as more Nigerian doctors go to Europe and America.
Doctors from Nigeria move to Europe and America for a variety of reasons. Poor working conditions, a lack of functional equipment, insufficient job prospects, weak medical aid, a high cost of living, restrictive tax policies, and numerous pay deductions are only a few of them. Nigerian doctors and other healthcare professionals leave their country due to insecurity, personal health issues, and worries about the future of their children. Nigerians spend a lot of money traveling for medical treatment since the country’s healthcare system is in such bad shape. There is currently no indication that the circumstance will soon alter.
We urge the government to act immediately to stop the current brain drain from the health industry. The budget for health needs to be increased. Ensure that the government allows at least 20% of the national budget to the health sector.
To strengthen the diagnostic infrastructure, retain physicians, and avert the impending collapse of the health system, FG must ensure an upward assessment of physician compensation, a root cause analysis of insecurity to identify feasible preventive measures, and higher funding for the health sector.
The sooner the government begins to really consider this sector, the better for the nation. Giving the health sector the attention, it deserves is in the best interests of the country. Nigerians rank first among foreign doctors in the US and UK, which is sad. This is fantastic news because it demonstrates that we have excellent physicians, but it is unfortunate since the nation is not utilizing its skills.
