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Thousands more planning to leave
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Lament maldistribution of workforce
By Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has revealed that at least 16,000 medical doctors left the country for foreign practice over the past five years. He also warned that many more doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers plan to leave soon, seeking better opportunities abroad.
Pate shared this on Tuesday in Abuja at the 7th annual capacity-building workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA). The event, themed “Integrated Healthcare Regulation and Leadership in Building Resilient Health Systems”, was hosted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). It drew representatives from across Africa.
“We are confronted with the challenge of an increasing number of talented healthcare professionals leaving to work in other countries,” Pate said. “Obviously, this was driven by factors such as economic opportunities, better working conditions, advanced training, and superior research environments abroad.”
He spoke from experience, adding, “I, too, migrated in the early 1990s. In 1993, I started at the MRC Lab in The Gambia and the ECFMG pathway that many here know well. So, I understand the drivers because they haven’t changed.”
He noted that migration is not new but has sped up recently. To tackle it, steps are underway. “We have doubled the quotas for training in medical schools, pharmacy, nursing, and other health professions. Why? Because our experience shows that when you train more, more might stay, and those who left often return,” he explained.
Pate also addressed workforce imbalance. “We are correcting maldistribution of the medical workforce. Over 40 per cent of our doctors are concentrated in Lagos and Abuja, while many parts of Nigeria remain without adequate medical coverage,” he said. He added that while doctors can’t be forced to move, “You can incentivise them with financial and non-financial rewards.”
Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health, suggested a “train-for-train” model. He said countries hiring Nigerian professionals should help train replacements. “It was estimated that the cost of training one doctor exceeds $21,000,” he noted. This loss of public investment leaves rural areas underserved.
AMCOA President Prof. Joel Okullo called the workshop a key moment for African healthcare. “More than a mere meeting, this workshop offers a rare opportunity for stakeholders within the healthcare realm to converge, share insights, and cultivate robust networks,” he said. He stressed data collection and expanding AMCOA’s reach across Africa.
MDCN Chairman Prof. Afolabi Lesi urged regulators to uphold top training standards. “The reality is that while we have committed and clear directions at the level of governance, implementation of actions is bedevilled by fractured and fractious relationships among health workers who ought to be working as a team,” he said. The patient’s wellbeing should come first, he added.
Lesi thanked AMCOA for choosing Nigeria to host the 2025 workshop, a decision made in 2024 in Zambia. “This is Nigeria’s first activity with the continental body of regulators, and I am grateful to the Council, to the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, for his wholehearted support,” he said.