The President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Prof. Aminu Muhammad, has disclosed that it would take Nigeria 10 years to replace the 500 doctors who recently left Nigeria in search of greener pastures.
The president, who revealed this while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after he read a communique of the biennial delegates meeting of the association held in Kano, lamented that the alarming exodus of specialists out of the country painted a dark future for the health sector in the country.
Citing available statistics, Muhammad confirmed that more than 500 medical consultants have left the country in search of greener pastures.
According to him, Nigeria has continued to produce the finest and highest numbers of clinical experts, graduates, and postgraduates in sub-Saharan Africa, who are currently breaking records all over the world.
The communique reads: “Medical education is under threat, mainly due to the largest number of specialists and trainers migrating to other climes.
“The challenges of brain drain in the health sector have remained unabated with the migration of highly skilled health care professionals not only out of Africa but, also to neighboring west Africa.”
The association also called for a synergy among teaching hospitals, universities, and regulatory bodies which has contributed to the failure to optimize the potential for increasing the quality of medical students.
Similarly, the communique urged the government to organize all stakeholders towards revamping Nigeria’s healthcare system through the provision of affordable and accessible healthcare delivery in the country.
“Government is urged to as a matter of urgency, provide holistic solutions to the challenges of brain drain which should include an incentive that encourages retaliation of the already depleted health care human resources in Nigeria” it said.
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