The Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has said that no less than 67 percent of Nigerian doctors practice in the UK.
Mr Pate said Nigerian-trained doctors and nurses are in high demand around the world and the UK's National Health Service (NHS) would be badly affected if Nigerian doctors retired and returned home.
Speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today programme on Tuesday, the Minister of Health discussed the National Policy on Health Personnel Migration recently approved by President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Pate explained that the policy is aimed at addressing the mass exodus of health professionals from Nigeria, noting that the new policy focuses on health diplomacy and promoting ethical recruitment practices.
During a similar interview in March, Mr. Pate revealed that the country now has only 55,000 licensed doctors to care for its growing population of more than 200 million.
He said 16,000 doctors had left the country in the past five years and some 17,000 had been transferred. He lamented the mass exodus of health professionals who are leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad, while the country is “barely managing” the available ones.
Demands of Nigerian doctors
Mr Pate further suggested that countries recruiting Nigerian health professionals should also contribute to expanding training opportunities in Nigeria.
Article page with promotion of financial support
“The migration pressure on healthcare workers is ongoing and will not stop tomorrow,” he said. “The UK will continue to need Nigerian doctors.”
He added: “For example, does the UK want to look at expanding pre-service education? Can we have corridors that allow us to come to an agreement that says ‘you will take this, but you will also help us train more people to be able to replace them’? That is in the realm of health diplomacy and ethical replacement.
“Nigerians are very dynamic, entrepreneurial and capable wherever they are. If Nigerians refrain from working in the UK, for example, the NHS will struggle to provide the services that many Nigerians are seeking there.”
While noting that the government cannot restrict freedom of movement, Mr. Pate stressed that efforts will be made to create a more conducive environment for health workers to remain and practice in Nigeria.
“We are not stopping anyone from leaving. We are accepting that migration is here to stay: people will leave, some will return and some will migrate here from other places.
“You are free to leave, but we will work to make the environment more conducive, so that you are more likely to stay than leave, and to attract/incentivize those who left to return,” he said.
New policy
Mr Pate said in his X account on Monday that the policy seeks to address critical challenges facing the country's health workforce, with the aim of managing, leveraging and reversing the migration of health professionals.
“This policy is more than a response to the ongoing exodus of health professionals; it is a comprehensive strategy to manage, harness and reverse the migration of health workers. It envisions a thriving workforce that is well supported, adequately remunerated and optimally utilized to meet the health care needs of all Nigerians,” he said.
READ ALSO: Minister greets Nigerian delegates at global robotics meeting
The Minister also noted that the important aspect of the vision lies in the Nigerian Human Health Resources Programme, which he said provides a framework for periodic reviews of working conditions, ensuring that health workers, particularly in rural and marginalized areas, receive the recognition and rewards they deserve.
He said he would create an environment that fosters professional development and stability, adding that the policy seeks to retain the best talent within Nigeria.