500 senior doctors left Nigeria, medical body reveals

500 consultants in various medical fields have left their jobs in government hospitals in Nigeria to practice abroad, the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria has disclosed.

The association’s President, Dr Victor Makanjuola, disclosed this on Sunday, September 11, while speaking to newsmen after a briefing on the resolution reached at the end of the association’s annual general meeting in Benin.

He blamed the mass migration largely on unresolved issues by the government.

Makanjuola said: “In the last two years, over 500 consultants have left the services of governments’ hospitals for practice abroad. All our government hospitals are consultant-led, which is the global standard practice.

“Now, we lose 500 consultants in just two years and we have found out that those who are more likely to leave are the younger ones.”