Ayobamiji Komolafe The President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Lagos chapter, Dr Funmi Ige, has revealed that female doctors are increasingly joining their male counterparts in emigrating abroad in search of better working conditions.
Dr Ige noted that while the rate of migration among male doctors remains higher due to their larger numbers in the profession, female doctors have found ways to overcome family-related barriers that previously hindered their relocation.
The MWAN President further explained that many female doctors now emigrate alongside their families.
In some cases, the women leave first, and their husbands and children follow months later.
She emphasized that while family responsibilities were once a major constraint, they are no longer preventing female doctors from leaving Nigeria
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According to her, the reality now is that entire families are relocating together, further depleting the already strained healthcare workforce in the country.
The MWAN Lagos president warned that the mass exodus of medical professionals has left the remaining doctors overworked and burned out.
She expressed concern over the impact of this migration on the country’s health sector, noting that Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio, which currently stands at one doctor to 10,000 patients, falls far below the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of one to 6,000.
With the continuous wave of emigration, the situation has become even more critical, putting enormous pressure on those who remain in the system.
Dr. Ige highlighted that in the past five years alone, Nigeria has lost between 15,000 and 16,000 doctors to migration.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, recently confirmed that while the government is working to expand training programs and motivate doctors to stay, the brain drain has significantly weakened the country’s health system.
He stressed that efforts are being made to introduce measures aimed at retaining medical professionals.
Beyond the immediate challenges posed by the mass departure of doctors, Dr. Ige also pointed out that the medical profession is becoming less attractive to younger generations.
She noted that many young Nigerians no longer see medicine as a lucrative or rewarding career, as they are increasingly prioritizing financial stability and quality of life.
She cautioned that unless steps are taken to reverse this trend, the country could face an even more severe shortage of healthcare workers in the coming years.
Dr. Ige urged the Nigerian government to take immediate action to address the crisis.
She called for better salaries, improved working conditions, and increased investment in medical training institutions to produce more doctors.
She also stressed the need for incentives to encourage medical professionals to remain in the country rather than seek opportunities abroad.
Without urgent intervention, she warned, the healthcare system in Nigeria risks further deterioration, leaving millions of citizens without access to adequate medical care.
