The Nigerian Medical Association has lamented that the doctor-patient ratio in the country is worsening.
The President of the NMA, Bala Audu expressed the frustration at an interactive session with the media in Abuja on Wednesday, noting that the doctor-patient ratio is about 1,000 per cent less than the World Health Organisation’s recommendation.
“The doctor-patient ratio is about 1,000 per cent less than what the World Health Organisation recommended. Recently, there was a medical school that graduated its medical students and I think they did a survey and asked the new graduates if they would stay or prefer to leave. Your guess is as good as mine. It’s something that is worsening, but it is something that we can mitigate.
“And I think that is the essence of such interactive forums, not to keep crying about our problems, but to profile solutions to these problems,” Audu stated.
Nigeria is facing a dire healthcare crisis, as a massive brain drain of medical professionals continues to deplete the country’s already fragile healthcare system.
Scores of doctors, nurses, and other medical specialists are abandoning their practices and emigrating to other countries in Europe, North America and Saudi Arabia in search of better working conditions, higher pay, and a more stable political environment.
This exodus of skilled healthcare workers has resulted in a severe shortage of medical professionals, leaving Nigeria’s hospitals and clinics understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the country’s growing health challenges, including the ongoing battle against infectious diseases like cholera, Lassa fever and Yellow fever.
According to the recent data from the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, about 1,056 consultants left the country to seek greener pastures between 2019 and 2023.
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors also made a damning revelation that over 900 of its members left for Europe between January and September 2023 in search of better pay and working conditions.
The NMA President said improving health workers’ well-being, providing better working environment, and housing schemes for doctors will prevent the japa phenomenon.
“The issues that will prevent doctors, and nurses from leaving this country include improving their well-being. It’s more than just their take-home package, their take-home package is important because they also need to have health care, they also need to educate their children, and so on. And if another person is providing a better opportunity, there is a tendency for them to take that option.”, Audu said.
The ratio of doctors to patients in Nigeria is approximately 1 doctor per 2,500 patients, which is below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard of 1 doctor per 600 patients.
This shortage is attributed to the emigration of Nigerian doctors to other countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, in pursuit of better opportunities.
The Nigerian healthcare system faces numerous challenges, including brain drain, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient funding.
The scarcity of doctors in Nigeria results in a substantial burden on the existing healthcare professionals and negatively impacts the overall healthcare system in the country.
