Facing staggering inflation rates, meager salaries, and an overburdened healthcare system, a significant number of doctors and nurses are departing Nigeria annually in search of better prospects overseas.
According to Nigeria’s Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate, approximately 15,000 to 16,000 doctors have left the country in the last five years. Presently, with a population of 220 million, Africa’s most populous nation is left with only 55,000 doctors, highlighting a severe scarcity in the healthcare workforce.
The mass exodus of healthcare professionals has intensified the pressure on those remaining in the country and has presented challenging decisions for students contemplating their career paths.
Hassan Adewunmi, a second-year medical student en route to Lagos State University College of Medicine, expressed his reluctant acceptance of seeking employment abroad upon graduation. He noted the preference of the elite for medical treatment overseas, underscoring the deficiencies in Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure.
Moses Onwubuya, president of the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association, highlighted the meager annual earnings of doctors in public and some private hospitals, ranging from $2,000 to $4,000, equating to an average of about $200 per month. This stark reality has prompted many healthcare workers to consider opportunities in other countries.
The healthcare workforce is predominantly concentrated in major urban centers, with approximately 7,600 doctors in Lagos and 4,700 in Abuja, as per the health minister’s statistics. In contrast, the rest of Nigeria struggles with a ratio of about two doctors per 10,000 people, indicating a significant regional disparity.
To address the ongoing brain drain, lawmaker Ganiyu Johnson proposed legislation in 2023 mandating medical graduates to serve five years in Nigeria before gaining a full practicing license. However, this proposal faced strong opposition from medical associations, with calls for improved working conditions and infrastructure in the country.
Despite promises from the health minister to review healthcare professionals’ salaries, Nigeria continues to grapple with the challenge of retaining its skilled workforce, with no immediate signs of halting the mass emigration.
