Nigeria Healthcare Faces Exodus Of Dental, Medical Consultants

A comprehensive study has unveiled a concerning trend in Nigeria’s healthcare sector, with more than 1,000 medical and dental consultants leaving the country in the past five years, according to a report published by Daily Trust. This significant brain drain represents a substantial portion of Nigeria’s specialist medical workforce.

Current Healthcare Workforce Statistics

According to Professor Mohammad Aminu Mohammad, President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), the current situation is particularly concerning. “Study conducted in January 2024 showed that there were only 6,137 medical and dental consultants in Nigeria, 3,475 of them being hospital consultants while 2,668 were honorary consultants,” he stated during a press briefing.

Aging Workforce Compounds Crisis

The situation is further complicated by an aging workforce. The study revealed that nearly 30% of the remaining consultants are approaching retirement age. As Professor Mohammad explained, “1,799 out of the 6,137 (29.31%) were 55 years and above. This means that nearly a third of the present, albeit inadequate number of consultants will retire within the next 5 years.”

Impact on Healthcare Services

The exodus of medical professionals poses significant challenges for Nigeria’s healthcare system. Professor Mohammad warned that “This bleak scenario has inevitably enormous and far-reaching consequences to healthcare service provision, research and medical education.”

Current Medical Infrastructure

Despite these challenges, Nigeria maintains a substantial medical training infrastructure. The MDCAN president detailed that the country currently has 111,240 registered practitioners, including 92,883 medical and 5,500 dental professionals. The nation also boasts 42 fully accredited medical schools and nine fully accredited dental schools, with additional institutions holding partial accreditation.

Training and Development

Recent initiatives have shown some positive developments in medical training. Between 2022 and 2024, 5,402 house officers were trained through the Centralized Housemanship Portal, utilizing 114 accredited training centres across federal, state, private, and military facilities.

The findings highlight an urgent need for strategies to retain medical professionals and address the impending shortage of specialists in Nigeria’s healthcare system.