Brain drain is defined as the migration of health personnel in search of the better standard of living and quality of life, higher salaries, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions in different places worldwide.

Survey shows a looming brain drain in the Nigeria’s health sector in the rising trend of emigration of healthcare practitioners – physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists amongst others.

A recent NOIPolls survey published in August 2017 revealed that the reasons for the looming brain drain in the health sector included challenges such as high taxes and deductions from salary (98 per cent), low work satisfaction (92 per cent), poor salaries and emoluments (91 per cent) and the huge knowledge gap that exists in the medical practice abroad (47 per cent), among others.


The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), a professional association Nigerian doctors and dentists Nigeria has about 72,000 medical doctors registered with only approximately 35,000 practicing in Nigeria. About 20,000 medical doctors are currently working outside the country.

“A total of $1 billion is lost annually to medical tourism in Nigeria. If you want to solve this problem you have to tackle the root cause of brain drain,” Clare Omatseye, the president, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, (HFN).

Omatseye said, there is need for new strategies in reversing the brain drain as well as patient drain, an enabling framework and policies by the government that would encourage private sector participation in healthcare sector.


“Government needed to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector to achieve the desired growth and development. Allocation of a paltry 3.9 per cent of the national budget to the health sector in 2018 budget was far below 15 per cent Abuja declaration of 2001 by all Africa countries in 2001,”.

“80 per cent of the budgetary allocation to the health sector was for recurrent expenditure, with only 20 per cent for capital expenditure,” she said.

Brain drain is the major reason we have poor technology and scientific discoveries which could challenge the global giants


Reports show that Nigerian medical professionals seek work opportunities in United Kingdom, United States of America and other countries.


Analysts say a good economic condition will make most professionals to return or stay back in the country.


“The increasing frequency of doctors leaving in droves is no longer news in the health sector, it been bedevilled over the years in the country. Preference should be placed on our health sector so that necessary provisions will be made to enhance our health systems,”


“If federal governments, institutions corporate and create a platform for success in the sector and opportunity, then the country will increasingly get more talent wanting to stay back to serve the people well,” say Analysts.


Team Dokita.

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