President Bola Tinubu has approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration to address the continued exodus of Nigerian doctors abroad.
The policy, announced by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, on his X handle on Tuesday, aims to woo an estimated 12,400 Nigerian-trained doctors practising abroad.
According to Pate, who also appeared on Channels TV on Tuesday evening, 67 per cent of Nigerian-trained doctors are practising in the United Kingdom alone.
“The recruitment countries, that recruit our professionals, should they not have some responsibilities to help us expand the training? Because the strain of health workers’ migration is continuous; it’s not going to stop tomorrow.
“the UK will need Nigerian doctors; 67 per cent of our doctors go to the United Kingdom and 25 per cent of the NHIS workforce is Nigerian.
“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,” the minister said.
Pate said the policy signed by the President was more than just a response to the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals but a comprehensive strategy to manage, harness, and reverse health workers’ migration.
While health workers believed the policy might be positive, they demanded the details and implementation plan.
Announcing the policy on Tuesday, the health minister said, ”This afternoon, HE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR @officialABAT, in-council, approved a landmark policy set to transform healthcare human resource management in Nigeria.
“The National Policy on Health Workforce Migration addresses the critical challenges facing Nigeria’s health human resources. As the AU Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership, Mr President’s commitment to a resilient and robust healthcare system is powerfully reflected in this forward-looking policy.
“This policy is more than just a response to the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals; it’s a comprehensive strategy to manage, harness, and reverse health worker migration. It envisions a thriving workforce that is well-supported, adequately rewarded, and optimally utilised to meet the healthcare needs of all Nigerians.”
Many Nigerian healthcare workers leave the country for greener pastures, leaving their colleagues to contend with additional workload and extended call hours.
The push factors, according to them, are inadequate equipment, worsening insecurity, poor working conditions, and poor salary structure.
The minister noted that central to this vision was the Nigeria Human Health Resource Programme, which sets a framework for regular reviews of working conditions, ensuring that health workers, especially in rural and underserved areas, receive the recognition and rewards they deserve.
