“In Nigeria alone, over 16,000 doctors are estimated to have left the country in the last five to seven years, with thousands more leaving in just the past few years. Nurses and midwives have also thinned in numbers. The doctor-to-population ratio now stands at around 3.9 per 10,000—well below the suggested global minimum.
Nigeria has lost over 16,000 doctors to emigration in the past seven years, Health Minister Prof. Muhammad Pate revealed Tuesday at the Association of Medical Councils of Africa workshop in Abuja. The exodus has plunged Nigeria’s doctor-to-population ratio to 3.9 per 10,000—far below the WHO-recommended minimum.
Pate lamented the accelerating brain drain, noting each doctor’s training costs exceed $21,000. “Nurses and midwives have also thinned in numbers,” he added, attributing the trend to better pay, working conditions, and research opportunities abroad.
The minister disclosed that healthcare workers increasingly seek overseas employment despite Nigeria’s acute shortages. “This migration isn’t new but has accelerated recently,” Pate stated, warning of dire consequences for Africa’s most populous nation.
The workshop addressed regulatory solutions for resilient health systems amid the crisis. Nigeria now faces the dual challenge of retaining professionals while maintaining care standards with depleted staff.