Rich countries harvest 20,000 Nigerian health workers

BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

The mass migration of Nigerian health professionals has reached alarming proportions, with no fewer than 20,966 doctors, nurses and allied medical workers leaving the country within one year, raising fresh concerns over the deepening crisis in the nation’s healthcare sector.

Official figures contained in the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025 showed that those who relocated include 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, 6,861 medical laboratory scientists, 702 pharmacists, 658 physiotherapists and several other specialists.

The latest wave of departures came into sharper focus following reports that renowned Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr. Salamat Aliu-Ibrahim, has moved to the United States, where she now serves as Medical Director, Paediatrics, at Freeman Children’s Clinic, a facility under Freeman Health System in Joplin, Missouri.

Further findings by Frontline Reporters from the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council revealed that 4,691 Nigerian-trained doctors joined the UK medical register between May 2023 and April 2026. The GMC records also indicate that 15,896 Nigerian-trained doctors—9,664 men and 6,232 women—are currently licensed to practise medicine in the UK.

An analysis of the health report paints a grim picture. Of Nigeria’s 95,456 registered doctors, only 60,551 hold active practising licences, while barely 51 per cent of licensed doctors are currently working within the country’s healthcare system.

The nursing profession, the backbone of healthcare delivery in Nigeria, has suffered even greater losses. Out of 267,951 registered nurses and midwives, only 113,123 possess valid practising licences, translating to an effective licensing rate of just 42 per cent. Although 78 per cent of those licensed remain in the country, thousands continue to seek opportunities overseas.

The report also highlighted a worrying depletion across other healthcare professions. While 658 physiotherapists have emigrated, only 852 of the nation’s 8,642 registered physiotherapists remain actively licensed. Similarly, 431 optometrists and 21 occupational therapists have left Nigeria, further shrinking the country’s already overstretched healthcare workforce.

The United Kingdom remains the preferred destination for Nigerian medical professionals, buoyed by better remuneration, structured career progression and easier licensing procedures. According to UK records, the number of Nigerian-trained doctors practising in Britain rose from 7,875 in 2020 to 12,198 in 2023, making Nigeria the third-largest source of foreign-trained doctors after India and Pakistan.

The United States, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also emerged as major destinations, offering attractive salary packages, improved working conditions, tax-free earnings and enhanced social welfare benefits. Data indicate that at least 3,895 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed to practise in the United States as far back as 2020.

Speaking with Frontline Reporters, several Nigerian doctors abroad blamed the exodus on poor welfare packages, unpaid salaries, insecurity, inadequate medical infrastructure and limited career opportunities.

Chairperson of the Concerned Medics Foundation, Dr. Sadiya Gumi, said Nigeria’s healthcare system continues to push professionals away through systemic failures. She noted that Nigerians account for a significant percentage of candidates writing qualifying examinations to practise in the UK and described Aliu-Ibrahim’s departure as a major loss of specialized expertise.

“Many doctors are leaving not only because of career prospects but also because of their children’s education, security concerns and the desire for a better quality of life,” she said, adding that many members of the medical diaspora remain willing to support Nigeria through training programmes and short-term medical missions.

A Canada-based physician, Dr. Pelumi Adetona, disclosed that she and her husband left Nigeria after enduring poor welfare and months of unpaid salaries. According to her, settling abroad has made the prospect of returning increasingly unlikely.

Similarly, UK-based doctor, Dr. Ebun Kolawole, said Nigerian healthcare professionals are not abandoning their homeland out of a lack of patriotism but in pursuit of an environment where they can work effectively and provide adequately for their families.

Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, warned that the country’s medical workforce has been severely depleted. He disclosed that the number of resident doctors has dropped from about 20,000 a decade ago to roughly 12,000 across federal, state and private hospitals.

“The situation is pathetic. Our members are overworked, underpaid and exposed to insecurity daily. Some resident doctors are on call virtually every day of the month. The workload is becoming unbearable,” Ibrahim lamented.

He added that while the highest-paid doctors in Nigeria earn about ₦1.5 million monthly, their counterparts in countries like Saudi Arabia take home between ₦10 million and ₦15 million monthly, making emigration an attractive option for many young physicians.

Amid the growing concerns, President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora to encourage their colleagues to return home and contribute to nation-building.

Receiving members of Nigerian Diaspora Medical Associations at the State House, Abuja, on Friday, Tinubu said there was “nowhere like home,” recalling his own experience studying and working in the United States before returning to Nigeria.

“I’m home, and I can tell you there is nowhere like home. We must remain determined and focused on building a better country. Encourage our people abroad to come back and contribute to Nigeria’s development,” the President said.

Tinubu assured the visiting doctors that his administration remained committed to improving healthcare delivery and creating a more conducive environment for professionals to thrive under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The President’s appeal, however, comes against a backdrop of mounting public concern over the relentless brain drain ravaging Nigeria’s health sector. The relocation of Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim has triggered mixed reactions on social media, with many Nigerians lamenting the loss of one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons.

While some critics accused medical professionals of abandoning a system that invested heavily in their training, others insisted that doctors should not be blamed for seeking better opportunities abroad, arguing that the government must address the underlying factors driving the exodus.

With more than 20,000 health workers departing in just one year, experts warn that unless urgent measures are taken to improve salaries, infrastructure, security and working conditions, Nigeria may face an even more severe shortage of healthcare professionals in the years ahead.