The federal government has reiterated its assurance that measures are being deployed to address the brain drain in Nigeria.
Minister of State for Health, Joseph Ekumankama spoke with reporters on Monday at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, Lagos.
He inaugurated the Orthopedic and Trauma Centre, Molecular Building Complex, Oxygen gas plant, Clinical Training Centre, and Ultra-Modern Theatre.
Ekumankama admitted that the mass relocation of health personnel was a problem and was worrisome.
“The greatest challenge facing the sector presently is the doctors and nurses leaving the country”, NAN quoted him saying.
The minister appealed to them to remain in Nigeria to see the efforts of the government.
“As a sacrifice, I encourage them to stay back and help us revitalize the health sector. We have witnessed that today with what is on ground in this hospital,” he said.
Ekumankama added that the government, in the last three years, released 100 percent of health budget.
According to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), between 2016 and 2018, the country lost almost 9,000 medical professionals to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Professor Innocent Ujah, the President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), claims that as a result of the loss, only 4.7% of Nigeria’s experts are available to meet the country’s population’s medical demands.
“Brain drain worsens the already depleted healthcare resources in developing countries like Nigeria and widens the gap in health inequities worldwide. Healthcare workers generally migrate from developing countries to more developed countries, leaving a scarcity of health workers where the need is greatest,” he said
He cited WHO data showing a doctor-to-population ratio of approximately 1:400-5000 and claimed that this is below the WHO-recommended doctor-to-population ratio of 1:600.
Ujah added that another issue that presents a significant challenge to the nation’s healthcare sector is medical tourism.
