500 Senior Doctors Left Nigeria in Two Years - Medical Body

Category:  Nigeria News

The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria has disclosed that about 500 consultants in various medical fields had left the service of government hospitals for practice abroad due to better conditions of service. 

The association’s President, Dr Victor Makanjuola, disclosed this on Sunday while fielding questions from journalists shortly after a briefing on the resolution reached at the end of the association’s annual general meeting in Benin.

He blamed the problems in the nation’s health sector on largely unresolved issues by the government, with health care workers leaving the shores of the country in droves for more secure climes with better conditions of service.

“In the last two years, over 500 consultants have left the services of governments’ hospitals for practice abroad. All our government hospitals are consultant-led, which is the global standard practice.

“Now, we lose 500 consultants in just two years and we have found out that those who are more likely to leave are the younger ones,” Makanjuola said.

He said to sustain the system and be able to train the next generation of medical doctors and medical students, the country needed to retain older consultants who are in their 50s and getting closer to their retirement so that they can stay back and train the next generation of doctors and medical students.

“The disaster which brain drain will bring will be doubled because we will lose the younger ones and the older ones will retire about the same time, and unfortunately we will find a medical system without consultants. This will affect the standard of health care given by the hospital,” the association’s President said.