₦airaland Forum

Update!!!!
The West African college of surgeons (wacs) just released the list of candidates writing its primary exam this month of August. A total of 1145 doctors registered for August exam compared to 946 candidates that registered and wrote the exam in March.

The college witnessed a 21% increment in the number of applicants which many doctors anticipated and attributes to uncertainty surrounding immigration policies.

Here is the breakdown of candidates per specialty:
-Total number of doctors-1145
-Total number of doctors per country:
Nigeria-1050
-Others: 95(Ghanians, Gambians, sierra Leoneans etc)

Further breakdown showed the 1050 Nigerians doctors sitting for the exams registered in each faculty as follows:
-Anaesthesia -101
Dental surgery -46
Obs & gynae -306
Opthalmology -55
Orthopaedics -120
Otorhinolaryngology -29
Radiology -175
Surgery -218

Anyways as usual the oil and gas(O&G) department takes the lead again😂

Putting this up so we all can see how doctors from other countries are no longer finding WACS Interesting. While Nigerians want to write so they can practice in other west Africa countries, Ghanians and Cameroonians etc do not see the need.

After all a house officer in Ghana earn more than a Senior registrar or consultants in Nigeria. Our currency power is really putting Nigerian doctors at a big regional and global disadvantage.

Tenses:
Look at them.

Throwing up 'POPULATION' when it suit their agenda.

Country A is selling fuel cheaper than Nigeria which is a producer of refined and crude petroleum

tinubu people: what is the population of country A.

Racoon:
WHY ARE NIGERIAN DOCTORS MAINLY THE MOST CANDIDATES INTERESTED IN THE WEST AFRICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS EXAMINATION IN THE FACULTY OF SURGERY?



Source

Racoon:
It is interesting that many West African countries are now leaving the WACS exams for Nigerian medics to write while they go for their own country's board qualification exams.

Ghana have one of the strongest center for the WACS while some doctors here even go to do their part-2 fellowship exams even @ exorbitant cost even when UCH Ibadan is also @ handy.

So what does this tells about us as a nation? It simply shows how bad our nation's leadership takes the wellbeing of its healthcare workers.

Imagine many still desperate to leave Nigeria write these expensive exams just to have broader opportunity of practicing in the sub-regional countries since US, UK, Canadian and other immigration routes are increasingly becoming difficult. Who do us this evil?

Sirrules:
nonsense write-up as usual.

Lanretoye:
Whats the population of doctors in nigeria compared to these other countries too.

Didijiji:
The last line there really made me teary

Our currency power is really putting Nigerian doctors at a big regional and global disadvantage.

APC, supporters and Tinubu, ya'll will be judged for damaging Nigeria

wicked demons

Emeskhalifa:
Asif if una Messiah enter, he will perform differently.

dgitrader:
It's simply about population advantage. Don't read too much meaning to the data. 10x More doctors, 10x more applicants.

What we should be investing now is more on private sector driven mega worldclass hospitals.
If we can have the best banks in Africa, better than the south Africans and Arabs, we should have the best hospitals too. We should be competing with India and eastern Europeans

Racoon:
It is interesting that many West African countries are now leaving the WACS exams for Nigerian medics to write while they go for their own country's board qualification exams.

Ghana have one of the strongest center for the WACS while some doctors here even go to do their part-2 fellowship exams even @ exorbitant cost even when UCH Ibadan is also @ handy.

So what does this tells about us as a nation? It simply shows how bad our nation's leadership takes the wellbeing of its healthcare workers.

Imagine many still desperate to leave Nigeria write these expensive exams just to have broader opportunity of practicing in the sub-regional countries since US, UK, Canadian and other immigration routes are increasingly becoming difficult. Who do us this evil?

Racoon:
It is interesting that many West African countries are now leaving the WACS exams for Nigerian medics to write while they go for their own country's board qualification exams.

Ghana have one of the strongest center for the WACS while some doctors here even go to do their part-2 fellowship exams even @ exorbitant cost even when UCH Ibadan is also @ handy.


So what does this tells about us as a nation? It simply shows how bad our nation's leadership takes the wellbeing of its healthcare workers.

Imagine many still desperate to leave Nigeria write these expensive exams just to have broader opportunity of practicing in the sub-regional countries since US, UK, Canadian and other immigration routes are increasingly becoming difficult. Who do us this evil?

dgitrader:
It's simply about population advantage. Don't read too much meaning to the data. 10x More doctors, 10x more applicants.

What we should be investing now is more on private sector driven mega worldclass hospitals.
If we can have the best banks in Africa, better than the south Africans and Arabs, we should have the best hospitals too. We should be competing with India and eastern Europeans

Racoon:
It is interesting that many West African countries are now leaving the WACS exams for Nigerian medics to write while they go for their own country's board qualification exams.

Ghana have one of the strongest center for the WACS while some doctors here even go to do their part-2 fellowship exams even @ exorbitant cost even when UCH Ibadan is also @ handy.

So what does this tells about us as a nation? It simply shows how bad our nation's leadership takes the wellbeing of its healthcare workers.

Imagine many still desperate to leave Nigeria write these expensive exams just to have broader opportunity of practicing in the sub-regional countries since US, UK, Canadian and other immigration routes are increasingly becoming difficult. Who do us this evil?

Sierra Leone faces a severe "brain drain" of medical professionals, with studies indicating that up to 70% to 87% of local doctors express a desire to leave or ultimately emigrate. This exodus heavily strains a fragile healthcare system already struggling with critical doctor-to-population shortages.Core Push FactorsLow Pay: Average monthly salaries for local doctors often fall below $400, making basic living standards difficult to maintain.Poor Working Conditions: Extreme workloads involve grueling 72-hour shifts and up to 70 patients per day alongside chronic staff burnout.Lack of Resources: Hospitals frequently lack essential diagnostic tools, medicines, and intensive care equipment.Systemic Pressures: Administrative constraints, delayed or unsalaried placements, and political retaliation discourage domestic advocacy

The emigration of doctors from Liberia represents one of the most severe "brain drain" crises globally. Historical data and workforce studies indicate that an estimated 77% of Liberia-trained physicians practice abroad—predominantly in the United States—leaving the domestic healthcare system critically understaffed.Core Push Factors in LiberiaLow Remuneration: Inadequate and irregular salaries fail to match the economic needs or training investments of medical professionals.Poor Infrastructure: Hospitals often lack reliable electricity, running water, essential medicines, and basic diagnostic or surgical equipment.Limited Specialization: The near-absence of advanced in-country postgraduate residency programs forces doctors to look overseas for career advancement.Heavy Workloads: A deficient physician-to-patient ratio results in extreme burnout and exhaustion for clinicians remaining in public facilities.

The emigration of doctors from Ghana is a major crisis. Low pay, poor work settings, heavy workloads, and limited training drive many medical professionals to leave. High-income nations like the UK, US, and Canada draw them away with better pay and lifestyles, worsening domestic staff shortages.Key Causes of EmigrationPush Factors: Low salaries, hard economic conditions, lack of equipment, and slow career growth.Pull Factors: Better pay, high quality of life, and advanced training programs abroad.Demographics: Younger doctors and early-career medical officers are the most likely to leave.

CorperKola:
That will be unaffordable to 99% pf the population abi

Didijiji:
The last line there really made me teary

Our currency power is really putting Nigerian doctors at a big regional and global disadvantage.

APC, supporters and Tinubu, ya'll will be judged for damaging Nigeria

wicked demons

nairalanda1:
Yeah, but the harsh truth is that health care, quality healthcare is expensive.

One can get quality healthcare in the UK for example, but UK citizens and residents pay exorbitant taxes for the thing...infact UK tax can chop incomes before other things come in. USA own is even worse. You will pay a large chunk of your salary in health insurance, and then you fall sick and even after your insurance pays, your remaining cost would force you to beg for money via gofundme in real life.

The problem is, the cost of research and machinery is very high. It costs a lot of money to keep an MRI machine running for example, ya need constant light to begin with among other things. If Nigeria somehow managed to build 5 teaching hospitals that are like the African center of medical excellence in Abuja per state, the MRI cost would chop a large segment of the budget. Housekeeping costs of a hospital is another matter. I mop the floor of my house at best twice a week. Hospital where i work, it is 3-4 times a day. IMagine the cost.

If we want quality healthcare, e go cost money. A lot of money. Sane poor countries like Cuba invest in preventive medicine, which helps, but not by much.

CorperKola:
Uk and Nigeria
We need a serious govt here i was just talking about what politicians do with someone now
They steal public funds and then build a political machinery with it
If they succeed that means any govt in power must negotiate with them which means you cannot prosecute them if you want votes from their areas
So people see that and question why they must pay taxes
I prefer paying taxes and having functioning public services than the reality of Nigeria today
Nigeria vs UK today
I'm taking UK 100 percent
If they had a sensible migration policy maybe the pressure on the nhs wouldnt even be as much as now
There has to be a way to make healthcare affordable for citizens in any sane country
There just has to

nairalanda1:
The honest truth is that even before funds are stolen, Nigeria is not earning enough money to fund the kind of quality health care we need.

(Migration is not the only reason for pressure on the NHS. Older population, people using the service for frivolous things, etc.).

Racoon:
It is interesting that many West African countries are now leaving the WACS exams for Nigerian medics to write while they go for their own country's board qualification exams.

Ghana have one of the strongest center for the WACS while some doctors here even go to do their part-2 fellowship exams even @ exorbitant cost even when UCH Ibadan is also @ handy.

So what does this tells about us as a nation? It simply shows how bad our nation's leadership takes the wellbeing of its healthcare workers.

Imagine many still desperate to leave Nigeria write these expensive exams just to have broader opportunity of practicing in the sub-regional countries since US, UK, Canadian and other immigration routes are increasingly becoming difficult. Who do us this evil?

nairalanda1:
The correct answer


-Total number of doctors per country:
Nigeria-1050
-Others: 95(Ghanians, Gambians, sierra Leoneans etc

Total population

Nigeria: 237 million people
Ghana : 20 million people
Gambia: 1 million people
SIerra Leone: 9.3million people

What do you expect?

TEYA:
Ghana's population is about 35 million not 23 million