16,000 doctors left Nigeria in five years – Minister

A total of 16,000 Nigerian doctors have left the country in the last five to seven years in pursuit of better opportunities abroad, according to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate. Speaking in Abuja at the seventh annual capacity building workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA), Pate described the mass exodus of healthcare professionals as a growing crisis that is severely affecting Nigeria’s health system.

He revealed that the doctor-to-population ratio in Nigeria has now declined to 3.9 per 10,000—well below the recommended global benchmark—while the cost of training a single doctor in the country is estimated to exceed $21,000. This, he said, represents not only a human resource challenge but also a significant financial loss to public investment.

“The migration of health professionals from developing countries is not new, but it has accelerated in recent years,” Pate said. “In Nigeria alone, over 16,000 doctors are estimated to have left the country in the last five to seven years, with thousands more leaving in just the past few years. Nurses and midwives have also thinned in numbers.”

Pate noted that the motivations for this trend include the search for improved working conditions, economic prospects, access to advanced training, and better research environments. He said the situation has left many rural areas critically underserved and poses a serious risk to the delivery of healthcare services nationwide.

Despite the grim figures, Pate called for a proactive approach, suggesting that the trend presents an opportunity to reshape health workforce policies in favour of national development. He advocated for a new global compact on health workforce mobility led by African nations and anchored on shared training and accreditation standards, data-driven planning, and strategic negotiations with destination countries.

The President of AMCOA, Professor Joel Okullo, also underscored the need for collaboration across the continent to address healthcare challenges, enhance regulation, and strengthen leadership. Meanwhile, Dr Fatima Kyari, Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, welcomed participants to what was Nigeria’s first AMCOA workshop, praising the unified vision for patient safety.

Professor Afolabi Lesi, Chairman of the MDCN Board and the workshop’s Local Organising Committee, stressed the importance of maintaining global standards while tailoring healthcare regulation to local needs. He highlighted the danger of fragmented professional relationships, which he said hinder the effective implementation of healthcare policy and compromise patient care.