Nigeria needs 12,000 doctors each year to address the healthcare issue.
In recent years, Nigeria’s health sector has been placed in a precarious situation facing specific challenges as medical doctors and nurses are fast depleting at an alarming rate in the country in search of greener pastures. Necessary institutes have released pessimistic analyses and recommendations on the state of the health sector, which has witnessed a rise in the doctor-patient ratio to 10,000:1, a far cry from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended ratio of 600 patient to 1 doctor.
Dr. Victor Makanjuola, president of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), estimated that Nigeria needs 12,000 doctors each year to adequately address the healthcare issues confronting the nation. More than 500 medical and dental consultants have left Nigeria for more developed nations in the last two years, he said, citing a report conducted in March by the Association’s Medical Education Committee. One in ten medical and dental consultants with less than five years of experience plans to leave the country. Dr. Victor Makanjuola has confirmed that an all-day meeting will be held in Abuja to discuss the problem.
It will take Nigeria 25 years to reach optimal aim of 333,334 doctors.
Furtherly, the Nigerian Medical Association released a report estimating the doctor-citizen ratio to be one doctor per more than 8,000 people. It is important to underscore that the typical medical or dental consultant is a clinician and an educator for medical students and physicians in specialty training. Also, it reveals that the gradual depletion of the skilled labour force would adversely affect healthcare service delivery and the training of future medical professionals in the long run.
National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Uche Ojinmah, has also weighed in, noting that it would take Nigeria 25 years to reach the optimal aim of 333,334 doctors needed to care for a population of 200 million at the current rate of production (12,000 physicians each year). As a result, he proposes establishing more advanced medical institutions across the country. Dr. Ojinmah said that the government should enhance its efforts to ensure physicians are satisfied with their jobs by fostering a pleasant workplace and ramping up their compensation and benefits.
Government should declare a state of emergency in the health sector.
In addition, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Emeka Orji, emphasized that the problem has a significant influence on the health sector and that it should be handled expeditiously in order to prevent an unanticipated catastrophe. He maintains that the government of Nigeria needs to investigate the primary factors contributing to the depleted number of medical practitioners in the country, such as welfare and other entitled bonuses that the government has been disregarding.
On his part, the chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Sa’eid Ahmad, who emphasized the increasing depletion of doctors in the country, noted that 2,000 doctors have left the country in the last two years. Dr. Ahmad also argues that the issues plaguing the country’s health sector must be addressed before the situation exacerbates. He asserts that the government at all levels to declare a state of emergency in the health sector. He added that substantial measures should be taken to attain the desired outcome.
The nation only produces an average of 3,000 new doctors locally.
Nigeria’s annual new medical workforce supply requirements are expected to fall between 10,000 and 12,000, while the nation only produces an average of 3,000 new medical and dental doctors from its local medical schools plus an additional 1,000 from foreign medical schools (about three times the current rate). The National Postgraduate Medical University maintains its appeals for enhanced service conditions and other motivators. As such, the summit is seen as a possible means through which national legislation governing medical education might be examined.
Related Link
Wikipedia: Website
The content on AskNigeria.com is given for general information only and does not constitute a professional opinion, and users should seek their own legal/professional advice. There is data available online that lists details, facts and further information not listed in this post, please complete your own investigation into these matters and reach your own conclusion. AskNigeria.com accepts no responsibility for losses from any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of content contained in this website and/or other websites which may be linked to this website.
Fact Checking Tool – Snopes.com
Our health care system is in shambles and it’s so disheartening we are yet to learn from our mistakes that health is wealth,we need to really care for our medical practitioners not lettingth go on strike always and deciding to leave the country for greener pastures.
Actually our health care system needs an upgrade. A lot of doctors leave Nigeria annually leading to short of medical personnel. We need to ensure the medical sector has efficient doctors there to help our health system.
The challenges facing the health sector is becoming alarming than ever. The drastic reduction of medical personnel in the country poses a significant effect on the health sector. This should be controlled before it gets out of hand.
The nation only produces an average of 3,000 new doctors locally. A poor record!We need to ensure the medical sector has efficient doctors there to help our health system and do what I takes to retain our doctors.
Medical professionals in Nigeria are leaving at an alarming rate for other countries in quest of better pay and working conditions, putting the country’s health care system in a vulnerable position.
Critical organizations have issued negative analysis and suggestions on the situation of the health system, which has seen an increase in the ratio of doctors to patients.
It is very encouraging to see that this summit is being considered as a potential means by which national legislation governing medical education might be investigated.
Every year, a large number of new doctors are needed in Nigeria to solve the country’s healthcare crisis and there has been a mass exodus of medical and dental specialists from Nigeria
It should be emphasized that a typical medical or dental consultant is both a practicing clinician and a teacher of residents and fellows in training.
It shows that in the long run, healthcare service delivery and the education of future medical professionals would suffer from the steady depletion of the trained labor force.
It is important for the government to do more to ensure that medical professionals are content with their jobs. This can be accomplished by creating a positive working environment, as well as by increasing their pay and benefits.
Critics of Nigeria’s healthcare system. The issue of Nigeria health care is too bad. The present government have really turn this country upside down. Our doctors and nurses are leaving the country for better offer since the country have no go offer for so many of them
The issue has a big impact on the healthcare industry, and it needs to be resolved as quickly as possible in order to avert an unexpected disaster.
It is important for the government to do more to guarantee that medical professionals are content with their careers. This may be accomplished by creating a positive working environment, as well as by increasing their pay and benefits.
It is imperative that we show genuine concern for our country’s medical professionals and stop encouraging them to go on strike or leave the country in search of better opportunities elsewhere.
Our health system need to be well improved we need many doctor so they can address all disease our doctors must be value so they will stay in the country not to be leaving that why we need to upgrade our health system
When a country is in bad shape as a result of bad leadership what do you expect: everyone will want to leave that country in search of a greener pastures . Except the federal government make the country conducive for everyone to start before we can attain that number of Doctors per year. Without that we may not get to that 333,334 in the next 50yeears
The migration of the health providers from Nigeria to greener pasture will continue to increase because the government are not responsible to do there part by providing the necessary things to perform there work.
With the current situation of Nigeria, things like these are bound to happen. If situations refuse to improve more doctors are still going to leave. The figure of 12000 doctors per year will only be possible if we have leaders who are ready to do the right things
It’s getting more disturbing that the health care industry is facing such formidable problems. The severe loss of medical professionals in the nation creates a major influence on the health sector. Before it spirals out of control, this has to be contained.
The Nigerian government must look into the main causes of the declining number of medical professionals in the nation, such as welfare and other entitlement bonuses that the government has been ignoring.
The government needs to do more to ensure that medical professionals are happy with their careers. This could be done by improving their pay and benefits, as well as by creating a positive work environment.