A former governor of Ekiti State and ex-chairman of the Nigerian Governors‘ Forum, Kayode Fayemi, has called for urgent measures to address the increasing brain drain in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
He spoke at the induction retreat for commissioners for health from the 36 states of the federation yesterday in Abuja.
The event was organised by the Nigeria Health Commissioners’ Forum (NHCF) with support from the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and other health partners.
Fayemi highlighted the severity of the situation, with over 7,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, dentists, laboratory scientists, and technicians, leaving Nigeria in recent years.
He proposed several solutions. First, he suggested the introduction of a „National Health Service Scheme“ for newly licenced health workers, requiring them to spend a fixed period, typically three to five years, working in Nigeria before considering opportunities abroad.
“During this period, their licences would be held by the Nigerian Dental and Medical Registration body.”
Second, Fayemi proposed that countries recruiting doctors or health workers from Nigeria should pay for their training, effectively compensating for the loss of these professionals.
His third suggestion focused on partnerships between Nigerian and foreign institutions to establish training institutes that would expedite the education of healthcare workers, particularly nurses.
Fayemi emphasized the need for change, revealing that many Nigerian healthcare professionals trained in the country paid nothing for their education but were now earning substantial salaries abroad.
He urged Nigerian healthcare workers to contribute their skills and expertise to the nation‘s health system.
The United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Nigeria country director, Mary Boyd reaffirmed the U.S. CDC‘s commitment to partnering with state commissioners to enhance health and well-being through science, systems, policy, and public health action.
She expressed optimism that together they could combat HIV/AIDS, improve child and maternal health, and reduce mortality rates.
The chair of the Nigeria Commissioners for Health Forum, Oyebanji Filani, said the forum‘s mission is to improve health outcomes across the nation through collaboration, innovation, and excellence in healthcare.
