Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has disclosed that the majority of doctors in the country intend to seek better opportunities in other countries.
Dr. Dare Ishaya, the President of NARD, attributed this trend to the challenging economic conditions and unfavorable work environments in Nigeria. He informed Punch that the total number of resident doctors in both federal and state tertiary health institutions is just 12,297.
According to Ishaya,
“As of the last time we issued the questionnaire, we found that out of 10 resident doctors, six of them are planning to leave or have the intention to leave.”
“The statistics we had then was in December 2021. So, it’s either they are planning to leave or they have thought of leaving.”
Explaining the reasons behind this trend, Ishaya said,
“As we speak, I am aware that a lot of my colleagues are working towards leaving the country, and there are a lot of factors responsible for that. The push factor is majorly the economy.”
“Of course, you will agree with me that we are having inflation in the country and the rate at which our naira is being devalued is alarming. If you compare our pay with the pay where most of these health workers go, you will discover that what we earn here is not up to one-tenth of what they get practising there.”
“As long as these factors exist, our members and other health workers will continue to seek greener pastures except if things are done to reverse them.”
Additionally, Ishaya revealed that there are only 9,297 resident doctors in federal tertiary health institutions and between 2,000 and 3,000 resident doctors in state tertiary health institutions.