The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has revealed that 67% of doctors and nurses trained in Nigeria are currently employed in the United Kingdom (UK).
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Pate announced that President Bola Tinubu has approved a new national policy aimed at addressing the ongoing migration of health professionals. The policy outlines a comprehensive strategy designed to manage, harness, and reverse the increasing trend of health worker migration.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Pate emphasized that the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) would face significant challenges if health professionals of Nigerian origin were to withdraw from the system.
He discussed the new National Policy on Health Workforce Migration, which was approved by President Tinubu to address the ongoing exodus of Nigerian health workers, commonly referred to as the ‘Japa’ phenomenon.
Pate highlighted the fact that Nigerian healthcare professionals are in high demand globally, a testament to their quality, and something Nigeria should take pride in. He also acknowledged that while some health workers choose to leave, many remain, each for their own personal reasons.
He said the policy “is really about health diplomacy and promoting ethical recruitment practices”.
“The recruitment countries; that recruit our professionals, should they not have some responsibilities help us expand the training? Because the strain of health workers’ migration is continuous; it’s not going to stop tomorrow.
“UK will need Nigerian doctors. 67% of our doctors go to the United Kingdom and 25% of the NHIS workforce is Nigerian.
“Does the UK, for instance, want to consider expanding the pre-service education? Can we have corridors that allow us to have a compact that ‘you’ll take so but you will also help us train more so you will replace them’? That is in the realm of health diplomacy and ethical replacement,” Pate said.
“Nigerians are very vibrant, very entrepreneurial, and very capable wherever they are. If Nigerians hold back from the UK, for instance, the NHS will struggle to provide the services that many Nigerians are going there to get,” he added.
Pate said over 75% of health workers trained in the last year have left Nigeria to other countries as economic migrants. “We have good training centres here, and the universities are doing a great job,” he admitted.
He said there is freedom of movement and the government cannot stop them from leaving but the government will make it conducive for them to stay and practice in Nigeria.
Pate noted that the new policy will facilitate incentives for medical workers to stay in Nigeria with improved welfare packages as well as enhanced capacity development.
Another area of focus of the new policy is the promotion of a decent work environment that is not beyond 12 hours per shift.
