Nigerian govt disregards medical brain drain, says country has ‘enough doctors’

 Despite the lack of qualified medical personnel in the country due to the medical brain drain, the federal government ignored the problem and decided that there were in fact enough doctors in the country. 

 

 Health Minister  Dr. Osagie Ehanire further clarified that the FG is trying to find replacements for doctors who leave the country or resign. 

 Ehanire said at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday. 

 

 He added that there is no ban on hiring doctors or other medical professionals in the country. However, there is a civil service order, so there are procedures before hiring a doctor. 

 

 “We hear complaints from doctors who are now leaving the system, but there are actually enough doctors in the system because we are producing up to 2,000 or 3,000 doctors  in the country each year. 

 

 “We just need to make the hiring process smoother,” he said. 

 

 

 

 The Minister urged the Ministry to implement a “one to one” recruitment strategy so that when one doctor or nurse resigns to go abroad, another will be set up. explained that it is working with the Office of the Director General of Civil Services. 

 "So if you have a replacement, it's probably not defective. 

 "But the service manager has  experience  in the past that if one  goes, three may be robbed and the  others may not  be needed, so it works. 

 

 "This We hope to use the policy to reduce shortages and get staff back into the hospital," he said. 

 In April 2022, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) announced that Nigeria lost more than 9,000 of her doctors to the UK, Canada and the US between her 2016 and her 2018. 

 Professor Innocent Ujah, President of the 

 Association, said at his first NMA Annual Lecture  in Abuja: 

 

 He said the loss left Nigeria with only 4.7 per cent of professionals who meet the health needs of the population,  not shining a good light on the country. 

 

 Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Professor Ujah said that Nigeria's doctor-to-population ratio is about 1:4000 to 5,000, and the WHO-recommended doctor-to-population ratio of 1:600. stay behind.