Crisis looms in Nigeria health sector as doctors continues to flee abroad

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It is no longer news that Nigeria suffers from insufficient doctors and has a doctor-patient ratio over five times lower than the World Health Organization, WHO, recommendation. This imminent crisis appears to have overwhelmed government authorities, with no plan to tackle it wholesomely.

Amidst this ugly trend, the country still loses hundreds of doctors annually to brain drain, a large number of them to the United Kingdom (UK).

The mass exodus of healthcare professionals, especially doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, has been a burning issue in the country. Recall that earlier this year, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) disclosed that more than 100 of its members left the country within the last 24 months.

According to health officials, at least 5,600 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) in the last eight years.

The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Uche Rowland, reported the figure at a symposium last week to discuss the brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector and its implications on health service delivery.

Rowland blamed poor funding of the health sector as one of the reasons professionals are leaving the country, noting that the Nigerian government allocated less than five per cent of its annual budget to the health sector.

“The government has its priorities, but we need to balance the equation and get serious about health investment,” he had said.