The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has voiced its concerns regarding the low number of doctors in Jigawa, where the current doctor-to-patient ratio stands at one doctor for every 21,000 patients in the state.
Dr. Aminu Abdullahi, the NMA Chairman in Jigawa, brought this issue to light in a statement released on Saturday as part of the 2023 Physicians Week observance. He highlighted that “Jigawa has the highest record of brain drain in the country.”
The NMA chapter in Jigawa has 350 doctors catering for seven million people in the state.
Nairametrics learnt that according to the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), the ideal doctor-to-patient ratio is one doctor for every 600 patients.
The chairman therefore expressed his dismay at the adverse impact of brain drain on the state, despite its allocation of 16 percent of its 2023 annual budget to the health sector.
The NMA is therefore deeply concerned about this unfortunate situation.
What he said
Speaking on brain drain, the NMA Chairman said,
- “….ours is a bi-directional brain drain, both within and outside the country. We have about 350 doctors working in both state and federal health facilities.
- “Currently, the doctor/patient ratio in Jigawa stands at about 1: 21,000, against the WHO standard of 1/600 patients.
- “The ratio is similar to that of nurses and other health workers in the state. This is one of the worst ratios in the country, which will significantly affect our health indices.
- “The current challenges bevelling the health sector as a whole honestly call for sincere, deliberate and fact-guided discussions concerning our healthcare delivery system.
- “With the current economic realities the nation is going through, there is no better time to make the healthcare delivery system in our dear state more efficient and responsive than now.”
The NMA chairman said that the theme of the 2023 Physicians Week “This is our chance to get it right in the health sector” and the sub-themes “The Abuja Declaration 22 years after” and “Ethical issues in human organ donation” are in tune with the current realities in the health sector.