SIR: The Nigerian healthcare sector has faced series of challenges, resulting in the alarming deterioration in health service delivery. One such is the declining number of medical practitioners, especially doctors in the country. The ‘Women and Men report 2021’ found that a total number of 39,912 doctors were available in Nigeria as of 2017. The number increased to 44,021 in 2018. But this number has since reduced drastically to 24,640 in 2019.
Nigeria has one of the highest rates of highly trained medical personnel leaving the country to work for greener pastures overseas. While the country is yet to meet international standards in doctor/pharmacist/nurse patient ratio, the best available are lost to brain drain. A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that for every 10,000 persons in Nigeria, there are four doctors available to treat or attend to them.
NOIPolls reports that the “continuous migration of trained medical personnel had further worsened the physician-patient ratio in Nigeria from 1: 4,000 to 1: 5,000, contrary to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended 1: 600. According to NOIPolls, this means Nigeria needs 303, 000 medical doctors currently, and at least 10, 605 new doctors annually to cover the gaping physician-patient ratio. The country has about 72,000 medical doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, with only approximately 35,000 practicing in Nigeria. Reasons for the continuous brain drain have been cited as high taxes and deduction from salary (98 percent), low work satisfaction (92 percent), poor salaries and emoluments (91 percent) and the knowledge gap existing in the medical practice abroad (47 percent)”.
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Nigeria ranks high in medical tourism with a percentage of about 42.4 due to the country’s poor medical healthcare. According to the former Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, Nigeria spends over $1 billion on medical tourism abroad to countries such as India, Malaysia, China, Egypt, United Kingdom and others, with 60 per cent of the fund spent in four major areas of cardiology, orthopaedic, renal dialysis issues and cancer. Even many Nigerians head to smaller countries like Ghana and Benin Republic for their health needs, particularly cancer treatment.
According to the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), about N576 billion ($1.2 billion) is lost to medical tourism yearly in Nigeria, an amount that could have been invested in the development of the country’s health care system and the country as a whole. This is about N100 billion less than the N632.7 billion allocated to the health sector in the 2021 budget. The salary of doctors in a private hospital is relatively low compared to doctors in government hospitals.
The availability of trained medical and health professionals and personnel receiving domestically competitive salaries is one of the indicators of availability of functional public health and health care facilities and services. Health facilities need adequate personnel to deliver effective service.
- Gregory T. Okere Esq.
Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.