Brain drain: Over 500 medical professionals exit Nigerian hospitals in 2yrs – MDCAN
Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has claimed that over 500 Nigerian professionals from various medical fields have left the service of government hospitals for practice abroad in a space of two years.
MDCAN President, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, disclosed while fielding questions by journalists after a briefing on the resolution reached at the end of the association’s annual general meeting in Benin City, Edo State.
Makanjuola blamed the problem of brain drain in the country’s public medical sector on largely unresolved issues by the Federal Government, which, according to him, has seen ‘health care workers leaving the shores of the country in droves for more secure climes with better conditions of service.’
“In the last two years, over 500 consultants have left the services of governments hospitals for practice abroad. All our government hospitals are consultant-led, which is the global standard practice.
“Now, we lose 500 consultants in just two years and we have found out that those who are more likely to leave are the younger ones,” he said.
According to him, to sustain the system and be able to train the next generation of medical doctors and medical students, the country needs to retain older consultants who are in their 50s and getting closer to their retirement so that they can stay back and train the next generation of doctors and medical students.
