The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria MDCAN has sounded the alarm about the severe consequences of brain drain in the nation’s health institutions, with some teaching hospital departments facing shutdown due to the high rate of specialists leaving the country.
Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, the newly-elected President of MDCAN, revealed that over 500 specialist doctors with expertise in teaching have emigrated. These specialists play a crucial role in educating and mentoring new generations of doctors in medical schools and training specialists in Nigeria.
Prof. Muhammad stressed the urgency of addressing the brain drain issue, as it is causing departments to close or operate with only one or two doctors where there should be ten. Replacing this loss would take nearly a decade at the current rate of production.
He emphasized that the health sector’s brain drain challenges have continued unabated, with highly skilled healthcare professionals leaving not only Nigeria but also neighboring West African countries. MDCAN is calling on the government to provide comprehensive solutions, including incentives to retain the depleted healthcare workforce in Nigeria.
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