Over 16,000 Nigerian Doctors Have Emigrated in 7 Years – Health Minister

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has disclosed that more than 16,000 Nigerian doctors have left the country in the past five to seven years, with thousands more following in recent years. He said this growing exodus is significantly impacting Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare system.

Pate made this known on Tuesday during the 7th Annual Capacity Building Workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA), held in Abuja, where he decried the shrinking number of healthcare workers due to migration, particularly nurses and midwives.

He revealed that Nigeria’s doctor-to-population ratio now stands at 3.9 per 10,000, far below the recommended global average. He further noted that training one doctor costs the country over $21,000, underscoring the fiscal and systemic losses from the trend.

“The migration of health professionals is not a new challenge, but the rate has worsened in recent years. Many are driven by better working conditions, advanced training, and economic opportunities abroad,” Pate said.

However, he noted that the government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is addressing the issue with the launch of a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration.

The policy, he said, aims to retain and motivate health workers while ensuring ethical recruitment practices and expanding training capacity to meet both domestic and global demands.

Pate called for a continental approach to health workforce mobility, urging African nations to develop shared training and accreditation standards, joint planning tools, and collective negotiations with destination countries.

AMCOA President, Prof. Joel Okullo, also stressed the need for regulatory collaboration among African nations to strengthen healthcare systems and manage workforce movement more efficiently.

Meanwhile, Dr. Fatima Kyari, Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, welcomed participants to the country’s first AMCOA workshop, while MDCN Chairperson Prof. Afolabi Lesi highlighted the importance of unity among healthcare professionals to ensure patient-centered care and effective policy implementation.