Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has revealed that a National Policy on Health Workers’ Migration has been developed to address the issue of health workers migration in the country.
Nwakaego Chukwuodinaka, Deputy director of the Department of Health System and Planning within the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, revealed this development during a recent policy dialogue on health workers’ migration in Africa.
The event, organized by the African Health Observatory Platform (AHOP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), provided a platform for discussing the pressing issue of healthcare worker migration.
“What we are requesting is to have a managed migration and to be able to implement that policy. We need a nod from the FEC. One of the key components of the Health Workforce Policy is to incentivise those that are on ground working, especially those in the rural and underserved areas. It also seeks to sign a pact with the destination countries.”
Chukwuodinaka stressed the urgency of obtaining approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to implement the proposed policy.
Central to this initiative is the concept of managed migration, which aims to strike a balance between retaining skilled professionals within Nigeria and facilitating beneficial exchanges with destination countries. Part of the envisioned policy involves incentivizing healthcare workers, particularly those serving in rural and underserved areas, to encourage them to remain in the country.
Additionally, the government seeks to establish agreements with other nations to ensure mutual benefits, such as technological support, infrastructure development, and exchange programs aimed at enhancing domestic healthcare training.
Moreover, Chukwuodinaka highlighted the policy’s provisions for supporting healthcare professionals wishing to return home from abroad, including strategies for their integration into the Nigerian healthcare system.
The rationale behind these efforts lies in the escalating migration of healthcare workers, particularly young doctors and nurses, which has severely strained Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure.
Shockingly, only 45% of registered doctors in Nigeria renewed their licenses in 2023, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
As of March 2024, Nigeria boasted approximately 300,000 active health professionals across various fields.
However, despite this seemingly substantial workforce, the nation faces a stark reality a significant portion of its trained medical personnel opt to leave, leaving behind an insufficient number to meet the healthcare needs of the population.
This exodus has led to a critical imbalance in the doctor-to-patient and nurse-to-patient ratios nationwide, with figures falling far below the recommended standards set by the World Health Organization.
In Lagos, where the concentration of doctors is relatively higher compared to other regions, the situation marginally improves, yet still falls short of international benchmarks.
Such disparities underscore the pressing need for a multifaceted approach to address the systemic challenges plaguing Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
Muhammad Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, reiterated the gravity of the situation during a televised interview, emphasizing the imperative of adopting a comprehensive strategy to tackle the critical shortage and skewed composition of the healthcare workforce.
“We have been losing many doctors that have been trained here. We have to look at it holistically, not only from the angle of doctors but other cadres that are important in the delivery of healthcare.”
In essence, the government’s endeavor to formulate a national policy on healthcare worker migration signifies a crucial step towards safeguarding the nation’s healthcare system and ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services to all Nigerians.
