Brain drain: Crisis looms in Nigeria’s health sector, doctors flee in droves
It is no longer news that Nigeria has a doctor-patient ratio that is more than five times lower than the World Health Organization, WHO, recommended. This impending crisis appears to have overwhelmed government officials, with no plan in place to deal with it comprehensively.
Despite this heinous pattern, the country continues to lose hundreds of doctors to brain drain each year, the most of whom go to the United Kingdom (UK).
The country has been grappling with a major migration of healthcare workers, including doctors, pharmacists, and nurses. Earlier this year, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) revealed that over 100 of its members had departed the nation in the previous 24 months.
At least 5,600 Nigerian medical doctors have relocated to the United Kingdom (UK) in the previous eight years, according to health officials.
The amount was revealed by Uche Rowland, President of the Nigerian Medical Association, at a conference last week to explore brain drain in Nigeria’s health industry and its consequences for health care delivery.
Rowland cited insufficient health-care funding as one of the reasons experts are fleeing the country, stating that the Nigerian government contributed less than 5% of its annual budget to the health-care sector.
“The government has priorities,” he continued, “but we need to balance the equation and get serious about health investment.”
Dr. Robsam Ohayi, an associate professor who also serves as the Chief Consultant Pathologist at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital and the Dean of the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences Enugu State University College of Medicine, Parklane, Enugu, stated in a media interview that the future is grimmer than hopelessness.
Ohayi called the country’s health-care system as “bleak.” He offered a bleak image of the country’s medical practitioners’ working conditions, lamenting the fact that many specialists are fleeing to other nations.
“To put it mildly, the situation is bleak, to say the least. As I talk to you, multiple doctors from practically every specialty have departed the nation from various departments of our hospital. Many people depart for diverse destinations. Some went to Asia, while others went to the United Kingdom.
“It’s even more shocking since senior people, senior consultants, have departed the system.” And as those senior consultants depart or have left, even the students we are educating, bringing out, and graduating, the most they do these days is housemanship, and then they leave,” he explained.
“I have a whole lot of students who are very close to me, who I trained, who are currently in the UK,” he added. Out of the four of us in my department, at least two have left. As a result, it’s a really risky position.”
The Chief Consultant Pathologist went on to criticize the government (both federal and state) and policies for the health-care slump, adding that a variety of issues, including insecurity, the economics, and infrastructure, can lead to a move overseas.
According to him, the government has failed to address these challenges, such as insecurity and other structural failings that drive individuals to seek better chances abroad.
“Honestly, without appearing judgmental, I place the blame fully on the government and policy.” There is no policy on which we can rely. The government has shown little concern for ordinary citizens, those who go about their daily lives in the country. As a result, the government is to blame. People like to believe that when we talk about brain drain in the medical field, it is just for economic reasons; this is a deception. Some people are fleeing this country due of insecurity, while others are fleeing because they do not feel comfortable. Because of institutional inadequacies, some people are fleeing the country.
“So the government hasn’t gotten security right, the government hasn’t gotten infrastructure right, the government hasn’t gotten the economy right, so these are just a few of the things that are driving people away from this country.” “As a result, I blame the government,” he explained.
The famous pathologist requested the assistance of the press in recounting the consequences of brain drain in the health sector. He stated that the current status of the health industry is completely depressing.
“I believe the press should also assist us. On a typical day, the press can visit our clinics and tally the number of doctors present, as well as the number of patients waiting for these doctors. And, as I speak, patients arrive at the clinic at 7 a.m. and sometimes don’t leave until 5 p.m. So, what does this accomplish? It aggravates their health since the stress of waiting to see the doctor causes adrenaline to be released into their system. They haven’t even had a chance to rest. They would have degraded by the time you reached the stage of even providing treatment.
“In a typical clinic, a doctor or unit will see over a hundred patients in a single day.” People who work in the NHS and other locations may have few patients to see while abroad. You can see how horrible it is for both the doctor and the patient. Then you extrapolate it to see what it does to the economy.
Okay, so this individual who comes to the hospital and spends the entire day there is supposed to be a businessman, a public servant, or a farmer. He does not go to work on such a day; he engages in no economic activity. He makes no contribution to himself or to society. As a result, it’s a hopeless situation,” he bemoaned.
