…About 16,000 consultants left Nigeria in five years
Patients are languishing in various hospitals across Nigeria due to acute shortages of specialist doctors to attend to their medical needs.
Specialist doctors are leaving Nigeria in droves for greener pastures in a trend known as japa. They are finding opportunities in the United States, Asia, the Middle East and even Europe, where they are well-remunerated.
BusinessDay gathered that Africa’s most populous nation has merely 25 consultant oncologists to cater for cancer patients in Nigeria.
There are only 50 neurologists and 40 neurosurgeons in Nigeria to cater for patients with nervous system issues, and 600 consultant paediatricians to provide support for children.
There are currently 9,000 gynaecologists in Nigeria, according to the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria. The Medical Research Foundation says there are merely 250 psychiatrists to cater to over 50 million mentally ill Nigerians.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that one in four Nigerians are mentally ill.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, there are generally 55,000 licensed doctors in Nigeria.
Specialists’ residency unattractive
Only 825 medical doctors registered for the 2025 Primary Fellowship Examination in March 2025, a critical exam that allows doctors to begin residency training, according to the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
This represents an estimated 72.5 percent decline compared to the average 3,000 candidates in previous years.
Commonly called ‘primaries,’ the examination is written before a doctor starts residency. It is a training programme undergone by doctors before becoming specialists.
These exams take place in family medicine, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics, pathology, internal medicine, psychiatry, public health, radiology, surgery, orthopaedics, and emergency medicine, among others.
Specialists emerging from this process often become consultants or senior physicians responsible for complex medical care and mentoring the next generation of doctors.
In Nigeria, residency training typically spans between five and 10 years, depending on the chosen specialty. However, with more doctors shunning the programme, experts worry that the consultant supply chain will critically dry up.
Data from the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), show that at least 1,700 consultants will retire in the next five years, a number that far exceeds the rate at which new ones are being trained. Meanwhile, the association estimates that 16,000 consultants already left Nigeria in the past five years alone.
Patients’ woes
Patients are counting their losses. A cancer patient in Abuja, who prefers anonymity, said it takes her up to three weeks to see an oncologist in a public hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We are in the hands of God because one specialist attends to more than 30 patients on the day of appointment. Sometimes, they don’t come at all due to other engagements,” the patient said.
Sam Dada, who undergoes treatment of the nervous system in Lagos, said he always calls the neurologist on the phone to know whether he would be available before going to the general hospital.
“He does not come every week and sometimes he gives me assistance on the phone due to the fact that he is often busy,” the 57-year-old Dada said.
Health experts speak
Health experts have described the trend as alarming, noting that the japa syndrome is negatively impacting the health system.
Speaking with BusinessDay, Mohammad Aminu, president of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), confirmed that in previous years, up to 3000 doctors sat for primaries.
Aminu revealed that there are only 6,200 medical consultants currently in Nigeria, with about 3,700 working in hospitals and 2400 found in universities, teaching hospitals, federal medical centers and specialist hospitals owned by states.
“What is happening now is that a lot of our young doctors are not staying in Nigeria. And those who decide to stay are not also joining the residency programme to become specialists.”
Aminu revealed that only about 80 Nigerians sat for the West African College of Surgeons exam in April 2025, an exam that previously attracted over 200 candidates.
Aminu further highlighted the implication for schools, explaining that the number of admissions for every university depends on the number of consultants that they have.
“If they don’t have enough, that means their quota will continue to be reduced. And also, the number of residents that can be trained in any department or unit depends on the number of consultants in that hospital,” he explained.
Aminu pointed to deteriorating working conditions, poor pay, and lack of incentives as reasons for the trend.
“A doctor who has been practising for almost 30 years cannot build a house, cannot take their children to good schools, and many other things.
“Five years ago, the salary of doctors was between $3,000 and $5,000. But unfortunately now, the pay of most doctors is falling below $500 if you compare with other countries,” he said.
“So, the government needs to do something urgently. Otherwise, we won’t find specialists in our hospitals,” he warned.
He emphasised that any government intervention must focus on improving the welfare of health workers.
Meanwhile, BusinessDay gathered that many chief medical directors of hospitals are lamenting a lack of responses to job adverts— notably specialists.
Olufemi Babalola, former president, Guild of Medical Directors, described the situation as dire. He said the government must act urgently to make japa less attractive to medical professionals.
Policy on healthcare
The federal government, last year, unveiled a policy on health workforce migration, which promised incentives to curb brain drain.
Babalola said if the policy does not focus on increasing remuneration and welfare of health workers, it would fail.
“Soon, we will run out of consultants. Our generation is passing out. If the government policy does not quadruple remuneration, it will fail. The government has increased pay of judges four-fold but has not done same for doctors because they have doctors outside Nigeria. That is a shame,” he said.
Mgbeokwere Michael, a medical doctor, warned that if an urgent intervention is not put in place, many teaching hospitals will be empty soon.
“In fact, many of these specialties are lacking doctors to the extent that they have to admit doctors without writing this exam,” he said.
“Amongst these 825 doctors, most are already planning to japa. They will start the training, save up money and disappear. Some will not practice afterwards and some are just writing the exams for writing sake just to keep the records till better financial alternatives come,” he disclosed.
Adaobi Onyechi, a health expert, said: “Without a steady supply of new consultants, Nigeria’s ability to evolve and modernise its healthcare system will be stalled. The low registration figure is not just a number, it’s a dangerous shortfall,” she warned. (BusinessDay)
