The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has revealed that 75% of health workers trained in Nigeria last year have moved to other countries.
He also reported that 67% of Nigerian medical doctors are currently practicing in the United Kingdom, and 25% of the National Health Service workforce in the UK are Nigerians.
Prof. Pate shared this information on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Tuesday night. He emphasized the impact of this migration on Nigeria’s healthcare system.
“The recruitment countries that take our professionals should have some responsibility to help us expand the training,” Prof. Pate said. “The strain of health workers’ migration is continuous; it’s not going to stop tomorrow.”
He added, “The UK will need Nigerian doctors. 67% of our doctors go to the UK and 25% of the NHS workforce are Nigerians.”
The minister suggested that countries recruiting Nigerian health workers should consider supporting Nigeria’s training programs. “Does the UK, for instance, want to consider expanding the pre-service education? Can we have corridors that allow us to have a compact that ‘you’ll take so but you will also help us train more so you will replace them’? That is in the realm of health diplomacy and ethical replacement.”
Prof. Pate also noted, “If Nigerians hold back from the UK, the NHS will struggle to provide the services that many Nigerians are going there to get.”
While acknowledging that Nigeria has good training centers and universities, he stressed that the government cannot prevent people from leaving the country due to freedom of movement.
