Healthcare professionals are leaving Nigeria in droves despite the Federal Government’s efforts to retain them, BusinessDay has found.
Sixteen thousand doctors have exited Nigeria in the last five years, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said.
About 75,000 nurses and midwives left Nigeria within the same period for the United States, Europe and Asia, according to the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
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Over the past six months, several healthcare workers have made efforts to exit Nigeria but were unable to process their travel documents due to unofficial restrictions imposed on license verification by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), limiting them to Nigeria alone.
One of such restrictions is that applicants who want to relocate must have active practicing licenses for at least six months before expiration.
Micheal Nnachi, president of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), told BusinessDay that policies that restrict the migration of its members are unacceptable, noting that efforts are afoot to tackle them
“We cannot allow any policy that will restrict the movement of nurses, especially in search of greener pastures. We can’t do that,” Nnachi said.
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Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya, a family physician, said unless nurses and other health workers are better treated by the government, any effort to retain them at home will be fruitless.
“Nigerian nurses are overworked, underpaid, overused, under-appreciated and unfulfilled with their work in Nigeria. This is why they want to leave Nigeria,” Ogunsanya said.
“The answer to underpaid, overworked, and unfulfilled health workers is not to hold them hostage in a system and a country they no longer want to be in. We need to address the issues, pay them better, make work more fulfilling, and build a country that professionals are happy to live in,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has been rolling out different initiatives to attract healthcare workers to the system, including a new policy offering various incentives to those in the country and the diaspora.
According to a new policy document, special credit facilities, mortgage financing schemes and tax holidays will be created to provide a conducive operating environment for health workers. There will be a periodic review of healthcare workers’ salaries, benefits, pensions, and allowances.
While the policy recognises healthcare workers’ right to international mobility for employment, it also stipulates that this mobility should adhere to principles of social justice, human rights, equity, transparency, and fairness.
However, the criteria for determining what constitutes ‘fair,’ ‘just,’ and ‘equitable’ remain unclear, as there is a risk of potentially hindering career advancement opportunities for some healthcare professionals.
Faruk Abubakar, secretary general and registrar of the NMCN, did not respond to BusinessDay’s inquiries on the current situation of nurses and midwives license verification on the two occasions he was reached via calls and texts.
In March 2024, the council began to implement revised guidelines for the verification of certificates for practice abroad, demanding that nurses and midwives must have at least two years of work experience after receiving their permanent practicing license before working abroad.
It also stipulates that applicants who want to relocate must have active practicing licenses for at least six months before expiration.
They must also provide letters of good standing from direct supervisors at their workplace or training institutions, extending the verification process to at least six months.
Nurses and midwives have begun to fight for the abolishment of the policy or a review that considered their interests.
Abubakar insisted that the Federal Government will not back down on the contentious verification policy in a televised interview conducted earlier, noting that it needs to place the collective welfare of Nigerians ahead of individual pursuits.
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He said more than 42,000 nurses left Nigeria over the last three years as training institutions struggle to produce an average of 6,700 nurses yearly.
In 2023, about 15, 000 nurses left Nigeria, implying that despite yearly spending on producing skilled manpower in about 285 schools of nursing and midwifery, Nigeria lost almost all to the international nursing labour market.
“If we allow every Nigerian to leave as they graduate, who is going to handle our healthcare services? We are not against anyone traveling, but Nigerians must be served and provided for with quality healthcare since we produce some of the best work across the world,” Abubakar said during an interview on Channels TV.
He further disclosed that nurses in Nigeria earn between N135,000 and N200,000.
However, depending on the level, experience, and qualifications, the annual salaries of nurses and midwives range between £20,330 and £93,735 yearly in England, according to data gleaned from the United Kingdom website on pay scale in healthcare.
The registrar said the Federal Government aims to produce 47,000 nurses in 2024.
