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Global body says Nigeria has shortage of 250,000 doctors

The body said Nigeria is 250,000 doctors short of the recommended doctor-to-patient ratio in the country.
Nigerian medical doctors have reacted to the claims that there are enough doctors in the country. (Premium Times)
Nigerian medical doctors have reacted to the claims that there are enough doctors in the country. (Premium Times)

The World Medical Association (WMA) has said Nigeria has a deficit of 250,000 doctors in relation to the World Health Organisation (WHO) doctor-to-patient ratio in the country.

The WMA president, Osahon Enabulele, disclosed this while speaking at a public lecture organised by the Federal Chapel of Edo Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists on Friday, September 29, 2023.

While decrying the situation whereby Nigeria only has 100,000 doctors, which he described as grossly inadequate to meet the doctor-patient ratio, Enabulele said the country needs 250,000 doctors to shore up the figures.

“Going by the international standard, a doctor should be assigned to less than 600 patient but in Nigeria’s case, a doctor attend to over 3,000. So Nigeria needs over 250,000 doctors to cope with the current reality.

“There are less than 100,000 registered doctors in Nigeria. Let’s say it is 98,000 doctors according to the last update. Out of this 98,000, only 50,000 are actually practising in Nigeria,” Enabulele said.

The WMA president stressed that Nigeria can only have an efficient healthcare system when the nation's leaders show political commitment to meet the Abuja declaration of dedicating 15% of its budget to healthcare provision.

He condemned the trend of Nigerian political leaders going on medical tourism abroad to meet less-qualified doctors for consultations they could have conveniently gotten in the country.

Enabulele, however, highlighted the problems bedevilling the Nigerian health system, which included a lack of funds, inadequate infrastructure, unemployment, poor working conditions, poor remuneration, and brain drain, among others.

“Because of these problems, senior doctors, consultants are moving out of Nigeria in droves because of greater remuneration elsewhere,” The WMA president.

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