JAPA: Patients stranded as shortage of doctors cripple private hospitals

Private hospitals in Nigeria, once seen as a reliable alternative to the country’s struggling public health system, are now facing similar challenges, with patients experiencing long wait times, appointment delays, and difficulty accessing doctors.

A recent investigation by Nairametrics reveals that medical delays are becoming the norm in private facilities, especially in Lagos and Abuja, due to a growing shortage of doctors driven by mass emigration. The trend, previously limited to government hospitals, now threatens the viability of private healthcare as well.

Patients recounted repeated frustrations, missed appointments, and delayed surgeries, even in emergencies. Healthcare professionals attribute the problem to the worsening “Japa” wave, a mass emigration of Nigerian medical professionals seeking better opportunities abroad.

According to the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), nearly 19,000 doctors have left Nigeria in the last two decades, with close to 4,000 departing in 2024 alone. The World Health Organization’s recommended doctor-patient ratio is 1:600, but Nigeria currently falls short by almost 1,000%.

The effect is most severe in rural areas, where some states have fewer than 300 doctors in total. In urban centres, remaining healthcare workers are overburdened, with many seeing over 30 patients daily and covering multiple shifts due to staff shortages.

Doctors and health leaders warn that unless urgent steps are taken to improve working conditions, compensation, and job security, the mass exit of trained professionals will continue, with devastating consequences for healthcare delivery in Nigeria.