Nigeria is grappling with a severe shortage of medical consultants, with only 6,000 remaining in the country as of February 2024, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has revealed.
This alarming decline has been largely attributed to the ongoing “Japa” trend, where medical professionals are migrating abroad in search of better prospects.
Speaking at the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Ilorin, MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Mohammad, disclosed that 1,300 consultants have left the country over the past five years. He also warned that the situation could worsen, as many of the remaining consultants are nearing retirement. Approximately 1,700 consultants are over the age of 55 and are expected to retire within the next five years, further exacerbating the strain on Nigeria’s already overstretched healthcare system.
Prof. Mohammad also emphasized that Nigeria’s training capacity for new consultants is insufficient to replace those leaving or retiring. “We are only training one or two consultants annually, which is nowhere near enough to counterbalance the loss,” he noted.
These concerns were echoed earlier this week by Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMCs), who warned that staffing shortages in tertiary hospitals are imminent as doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers continue to leave due to inadequate pay and poor working conditions.
