The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed regret that the menace of brain drain has been killing the country’s health sector, revealing that approximately 10,296 doctors now practice in the United Kingdom, making Nigeria the country with the third highest number of foreign doctors.
The doctors also expressed concern about rising maternal and infant mortality in Ekiti, attributing the increase to a geometric loss of doctors to foreign countries.
Dr. Babatunde Rosiji, Chairman of the National Medical Association’s Ekiti Chapter, stated this yesterday in Ado Ekiti at a press conference to mark the start of the 2022 Physicians’ Week.
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“According to General Medical Council statistics, which licenses and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the United Kingdom, 200 Nigerian trained doctors were licensed between August 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022,” Rosiji said.
“The statistics also revealed that approximately 1,307 doctors trained in Nigeria were licensed in the UK, as Nigeria continues to face one of the worst brain drain situations in history.”
In total, 10,296 Nigerian doctors are currently practicing in the United Kingdom.”
Senior Medical Doctor/MD Solomon Jayden Medical Centre/Assistant Secretary, Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners, Ogun state chapter, Dr Akin Oyejoko speaking on This Morning with Yori Folarin said NMA is trying to issue a warning to the FG and Nigerians that the situation of medical migration can get worse.
“We are losing more doctors than we are making. If it continues this way, one might just get to a big hospital and discover we have just one Doctor to 5000 patients.
“We know what will happen if that happens.
“It is now a dream right now, of every young doctor to get out of Nigeria. Some families celebrate when their son or daughters can pick up a job outside Nigeria.
“If all the doctors leave Nigeria, especially the young doctors, what will happen to the people in Nigeria?
Dr. Oyejoko noted that the situation of medical brain drain is so bad that getting a bed in a government-owned hospital requires knowing someone.
“If our lives doesn’t matter in our country, where will it matter?
Dr Oyejoko added that the average Nigerian Doctor is neither recorgnised or appreciated. If he finds a better opportunity, he will leave.
The Nigerian doctors are not the only professionals who are in business.
“Doctors, like any other professional group, want to be appreciated.” Doctors want to be able to perform their duties.
“There are many reasons why the young people leave the country.
“The issue of remuneration is one aspect, How well do we pay our professions in Nigeria? Doctors, lawyers, accountants? How well do we pay the cost? Secondly, what are the opportunities available for career progression in Nigeria? If you stay in Nigeria, where will you end? How will it end? these are some of the questions we should respond to.
Doctors are worse off in terms of working environment especially those who work in government facilities.
“The working environment is terrible, the tools are not there and we also look at the issue of retirement, things are getting worse.
In response to the issue of brain drain, Dr. Orji Emeka Innocent, National President of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors, said, “The alarm has always been raised, but the issue is becoming more frequent, and what we have in hand is actually a crisis situation that needs to be addressed, as there will come a time when there will be no medical doctor left.”
According to him, Nigerian doctors have commissioned some scientific studies so that it can get to know exactly what it is dealing with.
“From the studies, we realised that up to 2000 doctors left this country over the past two years. This year alone from January to August up to 800 left.
“The study found out that among those who are currently in Nigeria up to three to 4000 have indicated interest in leaving the country.
“We also found out that the major cost of medical exodus is poor remuneration, salary, welfare packages, housing schemes, car schemes and all that. The Nigerian doctors do not feel that for the services they are rendering to this country that they are being taken care off. And as long as you do not address this squarely, this exodus will continue.
Dr. Innocent stated that insecurity, poor job satisfaction, and poor equipment are all contributing factors, but that 80% is largely due to poor remuneration.
