Successful abroad based doctors are considering coming back to practice – Minister of Health

• Nigerian health professionals are considering returning to the country if adequate infrastructure is provided.

• On Sunday Politics, he highlighted that many health workers in Nigeria choose to remain in the country despite better pay and welfare packages abroad.

Muhammad Ali Pate, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has disclosed that successful Nigerian doctors, nurses, and health practitioners living overseas are considering returning to Nigeria if the necessary infrastructure is supplied.

He made the revelation on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, noting that many health workers choose to stay in Nigeria to serve the country despite the possibility to relocate abroad where they are assured a better income and welfare package.

He said; “Some that have been successful are also begin to think of how to come back if the enabling infrastructure is provided.

There are also thousands of people here who, despite having the opportunity to travel abroad, do not travel abroad, and we appreciate them,” he said, adding that some Nigerian health professionals simply “go to get trainings abroad with the expectation that they will come back better skilled and contribute at home.”

The minister also stated that the government is doing all possible to make the business more attractive to health professionals and to prevent the Japa migration phenomena.

Pate added; “The lifeblood of the health sector is the human resource. That is the most important ingredient, not the hospitals, though they are very important complements. There are about 300,000 health professionals working in Nigeria today, of all cadres; doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists.

“There are about 55,000 licensed medical doctors in Nigeria, they are no sufficient and not well-distributed across the country. Can you believe that most of the doctors and high professionals are in Lagos, Abuja and a few other urban centres? So, there is huge distribution challenge.”

The health minister stated that approximately 15,000 doctors had been lost in the last five years, but the government is dedicated to extending its training plan to replace the void.

Furthermore, Pate stated that his ministry is collaborating with the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission to boost the salary of Nigeria’s health professionals.