August 14, 2024/CSL Research
News reports say President Bola Tinubu has approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration, aimed at addressing the challenges facing Nigeria’s healthcare human resources. This was announced by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, on his X handle on Monday. According to Prof. Pate, the policy goes beyond merely addressing the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals. It represents a comprehensive strategy designed to manage, harness, and ultimately reverse the migration of health workers. The policy envisions a thriving, well-supported, adequately rewarded, and optimally utilized healthcare workforce to meet the needs of all Nigerians.
The Yoruba slang ‘Japa’, which means to run away quickly from a bad situation, has become a popular word amongst many middle aged and young Nigerians. Immigration is the movement of people across national borders. Though Immigration is a global concept—virtually every country in the world continually experiences both inflows and outflows of people, it may have adverse effects, particularly if it results in a brain drain. A brain drain occurs if migrants are disproportionately comprised of high- skilled workers from the source country, which is the case with Nigeria. The current state of the Nigerian economy, characterized by high inflation, poor growth, FX devaluation, worsening insecurity, etc. is a major factor influencing the decisions of many Nigerians to flee the country.
The healthcare sector, which has always operated below capacity has been at the fore front of this brain drain. Between 15,000 and 16,000 doctors have departed in the past five years, leaving just 55,000 doctors for a population of 220 million according to Nigeria’s Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate. As of the most recent estimates, Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is significantly below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended standard.
The WHO recommends a ratio of 1 doctor per 600 patients, but in Nigeria, the ratio is closer to 1 doctor per 4,000 to 5,000 patients. This shortage is partly due to the ongoing migration of healthcare professionals from Nigeria to other countries in search of better opportunities, often referred to as the “brain drain.” This imbalance severely impacts the quality of healthcare delivery in the country, contributing to overburdened healthcare facilities and inadequate medical care for the population.
Efforts like the newly approved National Policy on Health Workforce Migration aim to address these challenges by improving the working conditions, support, and incentives for healthcare professionals in Nigeria. However, in our view, addressing the brain drain of healthcare professionals from Nigeria requires a holistic, multi-faceted approach that tackles both the push factors driving professionals abroad and the pull factors that attract them. The Nigerian government must create a more supportive environment that not only retains its healthcare professionals but also attracts those who have left to return. This holistic approach will require sustained commitment, investment, and collaboration across various sectors.
