The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) is deeply concerned about the severe impact of brain drain on the country’s healthcare institutions. They revealed that some departments in teaching hospitals are on the verge of shutting down due to a significant outflow of specialist doctors. Nearly 500 highly skilled doctors, specializing in teaching and training new generations of medical professionals, have left Nigeria.
This brain drain crisis poses critical challenges as it’s taking away the top-tier professionals who play a crucial role in medical education and patient care. With this alarming rate of migration, some departments are operating with just one or two doctors when they should ideally have ten. Replacing these specialists could take up to a decade at the current rate of production, which is a worrisome situation.
The problem of brain drain in the healthcare sector extends beyond Nigeria’s borders, with healthcare professionals also leaving for neighboring West African countries. The government is being urged to take immediate action to address this issue comprehensively. This should include providing incentives to retain the already depleted healthcare workforce in Nigeria. Without improvements in infrastructure, working conditions, and security, it will be challenging to prevent more professionals from seeking opportunities abroad.
Furthermore, this exodus of specialists and trainers is putting medical education at risk. Many universities now have more manpower and infrastructure than they can effectively utilize due to the shortage of educators. The government must make concerted efforts to motivate and support the available healthcare workforce to ensure the quality of both undergraduate and postgraduate medical training in Nigeria is maintained and improved.
