The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate on Friday said the enrolment quota in medical, nursing, and other health professional schools has been increased from 28,000 to 64,000 yearly.
Jerrymusa.com reports that Professor Pate made this statement at a sectoral ministerial press briefing in Abuja, marking the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
For years, Nigerian health workers have sought opportunities abroad, but experts consider the recent surge in emigration alarming. They attribute this trend to inadequate equipment, worsening insecurity, poor working conditions, and a flawed salary structure.
Health Workers Leaving Nigeria
According to the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, approximately 1,056 consultants left the country between 2019 and 2023.
Similarly, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors reported that over 900 members relocated to Europe between January and September 2023.
In response, Professor Pate announced that the government has doubled the enrollment of quotas for medical and nursing schools, from 28,000 to 64,000 annually.
He emphasized the need for the education sector and state governments to improve infrastructure, training, and resources to produce more healthcare professionals, considering the country’s population and brain drain.
Regarding Primary Health Care Centres, at least 1,400 now offer skilled birth attendance services. Over 2,400 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and midwives, have been recruited to provide essential health services in rural areas.
The Federal Government has also disbursed the first tranche of N25 billion from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to 23 states, conditional on compliance with fiduciary guidelines to ensure effective resource allocation.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had announced strategies to increase admissions into medical and dental institutions, acknowledging that the 3,000 doctors produced annually in Nigeria were insufficient.
He emphasized the need to make the healthcare environment more attractive to discourage the mass exodus of licensed doctors and health professionals to developed countries.