Does Nigeria have too many doctors to worry about a "brain drain"?

Nigeria has too many doctors and does not suffer from a "brain drain", said the country's labor minister.

But Chris Ngige's comments, broadcast on Wednesday on a local television channel, sparked controversy in Africa's most populous country, which has reportedly spent more than $ 2 billion since 2011 after training doctors who then emigrated.

John Afam-Osemene, who graduated as a physician in 2016, hopes to be one of them and plans to move to the UK to work there.

He stated that it was not his intention, but that his remuneration and poor working conditions at home motivated his decision.

"The graduation is a great experience, it's all smiles, but soon after, the real world hits you," he told the BBC.

Dr. Chioma Nwakanma, who worked in a public hospital in the south of the country, said she and her colleagues often did not even have the basics.

"I mean as basic as oxygen tanks, protective equipment such as gloves, we have to borrow from patients," she told the BBC.

Last year, she became famous during the outbreak of Lbada fever, when she expressed on the lack of protective equipment after one year. colleague had contracted the virus and died later.

"It hit the house, we knew her husband, her friends, she was a mother, it was very personal to me because we were like goats. [being led] for the mbadacre, "said Dr. Nwakanma, who has now moved on to private practice.

"Chronic underfunding"

Poor infrastructure and low wages are the reason for the frequent strikes by doctors in public hospitals – including the one that began last week in Imo State where doctors say they owe their salary arrears.

Dr. Francis Adedayo Faduyile, president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), attributes "chronic underfunding" to the state of the health system and says that this leads to a "mbad migration" of doctors.

The Minister of Labor argues that it is normal for a country with a surplus of goods and services to export it.

But for Dr Faduyile, the larger the number of departing doctors, the more tense the system will be.

"In a crisis, the health system is weak and will not be able to cope, unless the government does something very different, I think the situation will continue," he said. at the BBC.

The NMA says there are only 40,000 doctors out of an estimated population of 196 million.

The latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal that Nigeria has four out of 10,000 doctors in Nigeria and that patients often wait hours before being seen. In the United States, the ratio is 26 physicians per 10,000 population and 28 in the United Kingdom.

Nigeria has repeatedly failed in its commitment made in 2001 to devote at least 15% of its budget to health. Last year, only 3.9% was allocated.

"Everyone I know is okay"

Brain drain is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria, but there is concern that doctors are leaving much earlier in their careers.

"Since the days of internship, everyone thinks of the PLAB [Professional and Linguistics Assessments Board]it's the exam for the UK, "says Dr. Nwakanma.

You may also be interested in:

• UK health tax hurts foreign nurses
• Five things about Nigeria: The powerless superpower

"Everyone is thinking about USMLE [United States Medical Licensing Exam] for the USA. It's part of the system. When you graduate, people ask, "Where do you live? The United Kingdom or the United States? "

And even President Muhammadu Buhari himself goes abroad to seek treatment. He spent several months in the United Kingdom during his first term.

There are currently more than 5,000 trained doctors in Nigeria registered in the United Kingdom.

Other popular destinations include the United States, Canada and Saudi Arabia, but the decision of the British Home Office to relax the immigration rules applicable to third-country doctors after Brexit could to get more doctors to choose the UK.

"All the people I know are going to leave," said Dr. Nwakanma.

"We are all in this WhatsApp group, everyone started with a Nigerian number, a year later you see a British number or an American number, the numbers change because people are leaving."

"If I have 10 friends, nine of them leave."

Dr. Afam-Osemene still needs to take an exam before he can qualify to practice medicine abroad.

He would like to return home, but that would depend on the improvement of the situation in Nigeria.

"It's already a problem and no one seems to care about it.People can not tell you to stay when they do not give you solutions."