Nigeria faces more shortage as Canada rolls out express entry for doctors

While Nigeria continues to face severe shortage of medical doctors, with some states reporting a single doctor attending to over 43,000 patients, putting immense pressure on the healthcare system, the situation is about to get worse as Canada is set to introduce a new Express Entry category in early 2026 to help foreign doctors working in the country transition to permanent resident.

Already, northern Nigeria is facing a critical shortage of doctors and other critical healthcare workers as persisting insecurity worsens the exodus of professionals.

The announcement came yesterday in a statement by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lena Diab and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Maggie Chi, which announced that a new express entry category will be introduced for international doctors who have at least one year of Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation within the past three years.

The move follows persistent physician shortages and is part of broader efforts to stabilise Canada’s health system while attracting high-skilled professionals. While Canada is opening a new Express Entry pathway for foreign doctors, it is simultaneously tightening its wider immigration system for 2026.

Nigeria already struggles with insufficient doctors, yet the distribution is significantly skewed toward the south.

According to the Joint Annual Review Health Sector Statistical Book 2025, states like Yobe, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Jigawa have 0.5 doctors per 10,000 population. This means there is half a doctor for 10,000 people, and approximately one doctor for every 20,000 people.

For context, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a minimum density of 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people. While no Nigerian state meets this threshold, the north faces the most critical shortage.