Nigeria has lost approximately 15,000 to 16,000 doctors to migration in the last five years, according to Prof. Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Prof. Pate highlighted the impact of brain drain on the health sector, noting that it has deprived the sector of its best professionals.
Despite having around 300,000 health professionals in Nigeria, only 55,000 are doctors. Prof. Pate emphasized the uneven distribution of healthcare professionals, with a concentration of skilled doctors in major urban centers like Lagos and Abuja. He highlighted the doctor to population ratio, which is 14.7 per 10,000 in Abuja and 4.6 per 10,000 in Lagos, compared to the national average of 2.2 per 10,000.
Prof. Pate stressed the need to address the challenges faced by healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and midwives, to prevent further migration. He noted that Nigeria cannot afford to continue losing its best brains to developed countries, highlighting the need to expand training and improve working conditions to retain healthcare professionals.
He also mentioned the efforts being made to address issues such as long working hours and inadequate salaries, which contribute to burnout among healthcare workers. Prof. Pate emphasized the importance of recognizing and tapping into the intrinsic motivation of healthcare professionals who choose to remain in Nigeria to serve their country.
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