91 Nigerian doctors get UK licence, NMA laments shortage of doctors
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Another group of 91 Nigerian doctors has been licensed within two weeks by the British General Medical Council (BGMC) which values their worth in the United Kingdom, underscoring how Muhammadu Buhari neglects medical workers.
The accreditation occurred over 15 days between 10 and 25 October 2022, bringing to 10,387 the number of Nigerian-trained doctors in the UK – apart from Nigerian doctors trained abroad who are working in the country.
Among the 10,387 are 5,210 associate specialists, 2,318 doctors in training, 1,837 general practitioners, and 1,273 specialists, according to reporting by The PUNCH.
The latest exodus is amid cries by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) against health sector brain drain caused by government neglect of healthcare infrastructure and poor remuneration of medical workers.
BGMC data shows about 1,307 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed in the UK in the first nine months of this year to September – excluding those trained overseas.
Nigerians rank third among foreign doctors working in the UK after India and Pakistan.
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Nigeria loses 500 medical consultants in 2 years
“In the last two years, over 500 consultants, in my estimation, have left the services of government hospitals for practice abroad,” lamented Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) National President Victor Makanjuola, per The PUNCH.
“All our government hospitals are consultant-led practices, which is the global standard. We have lost 500 in just two years, and we have found out that those who are more likely to leave are the younger ones.
“To sustain the system and be able to train the next generation of medical doctors and medical students, Nigeria needs to retain the older consultants who are in their 50s and getting close to retirement so that they can stay back and train the next generation of doctors and medical students.
“Otherwise, the disaster of brain drain would be doubled because we would lose the younger ones and the older ones at about the same time, and you would find a system without consultants.
“This would affect the standard of care and the quality of care given by hospitals.”