Brain Drain: Nigeria now left with 55,000 doctors as 16,000 emigrate in five years

EXCLUSIVE: Top Nigeria Customs officers enmeshed in multi-billion naira corruption scandalFood security: The Bago challenge, By Dakuku PetersideEXCLUSIVE: Northern senators move against Akpabio over alleged N4trn budget paddingClimate change, extreme weather, conflict exacerbate global food crisisHow to stay constantly motivated, By Sunday AdelajaThe Nigerian government has revealed that the country now has only 55,000 licensed doctors to serve its growing population of over 200 million.

According to the Minister, Nigeria has about 300,000 health professionals, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and others. He also highlighted an uneven distribution issue, with a significant concentration of skilled doctors in urban centres like Lagos and Abuja.“The doctor-to-population ratio in Abuja is 14.7 per 10,000 population; in Lagos, it is about 4.6, even though the average is 2.2 by 10,000,” he said.

“Now to the ‘Japa’ you talk about, it is not only limited to Nigeria. It is a global phenomenon,” he said, adding: “Other countries don’t have enough and they are asking to take more.”Nigeria has been battling the increasing exodus of healthcare professionals, especially doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, to developed countries.

According to data documented by the Development Research and Project Centre , 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK in 2015; the number increased to 279 in 2016; in 2017 the figure was 475, in 2018, the figure rose to 852, in 2019 it jumped to 1,347; in 2020, the figure was 833 and in 2021, it was put at 932.

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