United Kingdom’s General Medical Council (GMC) which licenses and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the United Kingdom licensed at least 266 Nigerian doctors in June and July, 2022, according to The Punch.
Implication of this is that at least three Nigerian doctors were licensed per day in June and July 2022 despite the moves by the Nigerian Government to stop the exodus of doctors and health workers in the country amidst worsening brain drain of the professionals in the country.
The Punch’s correspondent, who has continued to monitor the GMC register, noticed that the number of Nigeria-trained doctors in the UK currently stands at 9,976.
Above number does not include other doctors of Nigerian origin who did not undergo medical training in Nigeria.
Currently, Nigeria, which however suffers a shortage of doctors, has the third highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK after India and Pakistan.
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) noted that Nigeria now has over 100,000 doctors who have registered with the council.
Worryingly, Nigeria with a population of over 200 million citizens, indicate the percentage ratio of doctors to patients still falls below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) recommendation of 1:600.
A poll by NOI in 2018 also showed that 88% of Nigerian doctors are considering work opportunities abroad, but experts say the figure may be higher due to the rising insecurity and economic crunch.
Other popular destinations for Nigeria-trained doctors include United States, Canada, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Australia. (Symbol: DP)