Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, says over 16,000 Nigerian doctors left the country in the past five to seven years in search of greener pastures in other climes.
Pate also said the doctor-to-population ratio is now 3.9 per 10,000 in the country, while the estimated cost of training one doctor exceeds $21,000.
He further lamented that nurses and midwives who left Nigeria have also reduced the numbers of healthcare workers in the country.
Pate made these revelations while speaking at the seventh annual capacity building workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa in Abuja on Tuesday with the theme, “Integrated healthcare regulation and leadership in building resilient health systems.”
The Minister said an increasing number of Nigeria’s talented healthcare professionals aspiring to work in other countries are driven by factors such as economic opportunity, better working conditions, more advanced training, and superior research environments abroad.
He noted that although the migration of health professionals from developing countries is not new, the trend has worsened in recent years.
Pate said, “In Nigeria alone, over 16,000 doctors are estimated to have left the country in the last five to seven years, with thousands more leaving in just the past few years. Nurses and midwives have also thinned in numbers. The doctor-to-population ratio now stands at around 3.9 per 10,000—well below the suggested global minimum.
“But this trend is not just about people leaving. It represents a fiscal loss. The estimated cost of training one doctor exceeds $21,000—a figure that reflects the magnitude of public financing walking out of our countries. It deeply affects our health systems—leaving many of our rural communities critically underserved.”
But the minister stressed that the phenomenon offers an opportunity to rethink and reshape the policies, to manage the valuable health workforce in ways that benefit our countries first and foremost.
He added, “In Nigeria, guided by the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who African Heads of State appointed as the AU’s Continental Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery, we are pursuing a new direction. His vision is for Nigeria to become a prosperous, people-oriented country that contributes to a peaceful and thriving continent. Not a standalone Nigeria, but a Nigeria that is interlinked with all our neighbours and sister countries. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, and within the framework of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, we have embraced a new path—combining strategic realism with visionary ambition.
“The National Policy on Health Workforce Migration is a cornerstone of this path. It is designed to address health workforce migration with dignity—dignity for health workers, for the country, and the profession. It is data-driven, evidence-guided, and signals a clear direction. This is not a restrictive policy, nor is it one born out of resignation. We understand that the global health workforce shortage is at 18 million, and countries in the Global North face their human resource crises due to demographics and other factors. But our response is based on stewardship—balancing the rights of health professionals to seek opportunities abroad with our duty to protect the integrity and viability of our national health system.
“The objectives are clear – To retain and motivate health workers currently serving in Nigeria—thousands of whom work under difficult conditions; to establish ethical norms and explore bilateral frameworks for recruitment, aiming to correct global asymmetries; to expand training capacity—not only for domestic needs, but to contribute to global workforce needs, to enable structured reintegration for the thousands of Nigerian professionals abroad; and to strengthen governance, improve regulatory coordination, and build real-time data systems.”
The Minister urged Africa to lead in forging a new global compact on health workforce mobility—anchored in pan-African training and accreditation standards; shared planning tools, evidence, and data; continental negotiating platforms with destination countries; and sustained investments in the people who care for our people.
The President of AMCOA, Prof Joel Okullo, stressed the importance of collaboration among African countries to tackle healthcare challenges and improve regulation and leadership across the continent.
He expressed the belief that the outcome of the workshop would produce actionable strategies to improve healthcare services across Africa.
He said, “This year’s theme highlights our commitment to tackling the diverse array of challenges within the health regulatory landscape. It seeks to empower AMCOA members and associate members with the wisdom and skills needed for informed strategic and operational decisions in the coming year.
“In this intricate regulatory tapestry, our discussions will illuminate strategies and insights that will bolster regulators’ capabilities. Our focus will revolve around managing health workforce mobility, improving credentialing and information data management systems.
“Let us embark on this journey with enthusiasm and a shared sense of purpose. Our collaborative efforts today and over the next few days will lay the groundwork for transformative changes that will resonate across the healthcare landscape of Africa.”
