9 out of 10 medical consultants leaving Nigeria – MDCAN

The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria has said nine out of every 10 medical and dental consultants with less than five years of experience plan to leave the country for greener pastures.

The MDCAN said the survey carried out in March 2022 by its Medical Education Committee also found that over 500 medical and dental consultants had left Nigeria for developed countries over the preceding two years.

The association made this known in a statement by its President, Dr Victor Makanjuola.

The statement reads in part, “Disturbed by the impact of this ugly trend on our country’s health sector growth and development, the MDCAN has conducted a survey among its chapters in March 2022 and found that over 500 medical and dental consultants had left Nigeria for more developed countries over the preceding two years.

“A further exploration of data by the association’s Medical Education Committee showed that nine out of every 10 medical and dental consultants with less than five years experience on the job had plans to leave the country.

“Furthermore, the Nigerian Medical Association recently reported that only 24,000 doctors are currently registered to practise in Nigeria, giving a ratio of one doctor to over 8,000 Nigerians, against the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of one doctor to every 600 people.

“It is important to note that the average medical and dental consultant is not only a clinician but also doubles as a teacher for medical students and doctors in specialist (residency) training. It, therefore, goes without saying that the loss of this category of highly skilled workforce to other countries will not only have an immediate negative impact on clinical service delivery but will leave a long-term devastating impact on the training of future doctors in Nigeria.”

According to the association, the country must produce approximately 12,000 doctors per year to meet the required number of doctors in the country.

“Anecdotal projections indicate that the 3,000 fresh medical and dental doctors, on average, produced by our local medical schools in Nigeria and another 1,000 produced by foreign medical schools, fall far short of the number of such healthcare personnel required to meet the country’s yearly medical manpower supply needs, estimated to fall between 10,000 and 12,000 (about three times the current rate),” it added.