The federal government has reaffirmed its guarantee that steps are being taken to stop Nigeria's brain drain.
In a press conference held at the Federal Medical Centre in Ebute Meta, Lagos, on August 22, 2022, Minister of State for Health Joseph Ekumankama answered questions from the media.
What he accomplished: He opened the Ultra-Modern Theatre, Molecular Building Complex, Clinical Training Centre, Oxygen Gas Plant, and Orthopedic and Trauma Center.
The mass transfer of medical staff, according to Ekumankama, is a concern and the biggest challenge facing the medical industry right now.
“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.
Why they should stay back: “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.
What you should know: As of 2020, Nigeria had a doctor-patient ratio of 1:2,753, in sharp contrast to the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s minimum recommended ratio of 1:400 or 600. The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has said more than 100 of its members left the country in the past 24 months.
Why doctors and nurses are leaving Nigeria: The push factors in Nigeria are majorly three, for doctors and other health workers. They include: poor remuneration, lack of job satisfaction and the security threat. These are the three things that are making Nigerian doctors to leave.