Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, raised alarm over the recent outflow of medical doctors from Nigeria, with a total of over 16,000 of them exiting the country in the last five to seven years.
During a lecture at the 7th Annual Capacity Building Workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) in Abuja, Prof. Pate had attributed this mass migration as the search for better economic prospects, working life, and access to more developed training and research capabilities elsewhere.
As much as he is aware, the issue is not specific to doctors—nurses and midwives are also leaving in large numbers, further stressing Nigeria’s already vulnerable healthcare system.
“In Nigeria alone, over 16,000 doctors are estimated to have left the country during the past five to seven years, with thousands more leaving in recent times,” Pate said.
“The doctor-to-population ratio is now about 3.9 per 10,000 people—far less than the suggested global standard.”
He also noted the financial loss this brain drain represents, noting that the average cost to train one doctor in Nigeria is more than $21,000—public funds that are really lost when trained professionals leave the country.
“This isn’t just about people going abroad. It’s a budget loss. These are trained professionals walking out of our system, leaving our rural and underserved communities even more vulnerable,” he went on.
While the grim picture, Prof. Pate said that there is hope for reforming the situation.
He announced that the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration is being launched, the cornerstone of the government’s strategy to balance support for healthcare workers’ aspirations and the integrity of the national health system.
This policy is not desperate or restrictive. It’s stewardship—sustaining our health sector while being pragmatic about the world,” he added.
“Our goals are to retain and motivate current health workers, develop ethical and bilateral recruitment standards, enhance training capacity, and create formal reintegration schemes for those returning from abroad.”.
Pate added that the new policy aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and also with the broad vision of making Nigeria not just self-sustaining but also a leading member in the construction of Africa.
He also made an appeal for greater cooperation between African countries in dealing with the health workforce mobility and called for nations to frame a continental system of training, accreditation, and information exchange.
Also addressing the gathering was AMCOA President Prof. Joel Okullo, who reiterated the call for increased inter-African collaboration to address the challenges in healthcare service provision and workforce management.
Dr. Fatima Kyari, Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), marked the success of Nigeria in hosting its inaugural AMCOA workshop, while Board Chairperson of MDCN, Prof. Afolabi Lesi, deplored internal wrangling among health professionals.
“Policy implementation is most often hampered by fractured relationships among healthcare professionals,” Prof. Lesi stated.
“We must place the focus on teamwork and keep patient care as the number one priority in what we do.”
