The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has revealed that Nigeria has lost more than 16,000 doctors to emigration over the past five to seven years, as many health professionals continue to seek better opportunities abroad.
Speaking on Tuesday at the seventh annual capacity building workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa in Abuja, Pate lamented the increasing rate at which Nigerian healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and midwives, are leaving the country.
He noted that the exodus has further weakened the already strained health system, particularly in rural communities.
“The doctor-to-population ratio in Nigeria currently stands at about 3.9 per 10,000 people, which is far below the global minimum standard,” he said. “This trend not only represents a brain drain but also a massive fiscal loss to our nation. The cost of training one doctor is estimated to be over $21,000, and when they leave, it’s public investment walking out of the country.”
Pate attributed the migration to a variety of factors, including the pursuit of better working conditions, higher wages, improved training opportunities, and advanced research environments available abroad. While acknowledging that health worker migration is not new, he stressed that the pace has picked up significantly in recent years.
However, he pointed out that the situation also presents a chance to reshape the country’s health policies. “We must see this challenge as an opportunity to rethink our strategy. Our aim is to manage and retain our valuable health workforce while acknowledging their rights to seek better prospects,” he said.
He highlighted the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration as a key response to this challenge. “This is not a restrictive policy. It is based on stewardship—balancing the rights of health workers with the responsibility to protect our health system,” the minister stated.
According to him, the policy focuses on motivating healthcare workers who remain in Nigeria, creating ethical recruitment frameworks, expanding local training capacity, and improving reintegration processes for Nigerian professionals abroad. “We also aim to build stronger governance and real-time data systems to track workforce movements and needs,” Pate added.
He called on African nations to unite in developing a continental strategy for managing health workforce mobility. “Africa must lead in creating a new global compact—one anchored in common accreditation standards, shared data tools, and coordinated negotiation with destination countries,” he urged.
Also speaking at the event, the President of AMCOA, Prof Joel Okullo, emphasized the need for collaboration across African countries to address regulatory gaps and leadership challenges in the healthcare sector. “This year’s theme underlines our commitment to strengthening healthcare regulation and empowering members to make strategic decisions for the betterment of the continent’s health systems,” he said.
The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Dr. Fatima Kyari, welcomed participants and hailed the workshop as a milestone event, being Nigeria’s first to host AMCOA’s annual gathering. She praised the collective leadership for aligning toward the goal of ensuring patient safety across Africa.
Prof Afolabi Lesi, Chairman of the MDCN Board and Head of the Local Organizing Committee, urged healthcare regulators to maintain international standards while adapting to local realities. He warned that internal professional conflicts often hinder implementation of reforms.
“We need to overcome the fragmented relationships among health professionals, which compromise patient care and the effectiveness of our health systems,” he said
