Why Nigeria’s doctors are increasingly leaving the country for more lucrative opportunities abroad?
Dr Tola Amusan recalls the exact moment he decided to relocate his medical practice from Lagos, Nigeria, to New Jersey in the United States in 2010.
“I had been struggling to make ends meet after opening my plastic surgery business in Lagos. At the time the area was fairly new and there was a lot of stigma still attached to reconstructive surgery. But the biggest challenge was getting paid your value. I was earning around $33,000 per year and I recall speaking to a colleague in the United States who told me he was averaging about $250,000 a year. I knew there was something wrong,” avers Amusan.
Over the next five years, he embarked on the audacious journey of relocating stateside to continue his practice and has never looked back since.
“I can finally afford to give my family the quality of lifestyle they deserve simply because I changed locations. I think until the Nigerian government prioritizes the healthcare industry and makes certain provisions for its doctors, we will continue to see the brain drain that is currently happening in the country,” says Amusan.
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According to the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Ayotunde Fasunla, the brain drain crisis is among other factors, as a result of “lack of infrastructure, scarcity of funds for equipment and a lack of human capital in the healthcare sector”.
“I think until the Nigerian government prioritizes the healthcare industry and makes certain provisions for its doctors, we will continue to see the brain drain that is currently happening in the country.”
Innocent Ujah, NMA president, said on in his address at the virtual eighth biennial and scientific conference and annual general meeting of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), that out of 80,000 registered doctors in Nigeria, only about 40,000 were practising in Nigeria leading to a doctor-to-population ratio of about 5,000 persons to one doctor.
This figure is significantly higher than the recommended ratio of one doctor to 600 people stipulated by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).
“The only way to stop the outflow of health professionals from Nigeria to the West is for the government to improve the welfare of health professionals and provide top-class infrastructure to support those who have dedicated their lives to saving lives,” avers Amusan.
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