Nigeria has the second-largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS. It also has the highest number of malnourished children and is the first country with the highest number of people without basic health care. In Nigeria, 840 out of 100,000 maternal deaths and 143 out of 1,000 children under 5 die, and 2,300 of her children under 5 and 140 of her children die every day in Nigeria. woman is dead
Brain drain is a problem that needs immediate attention. While not a new occurrence, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rate at which healthcare workers leave Nigeria. Unless the “drivers” of migration, career progression, higher wages, and better quality of life for health workers are addressed, health worker retention will continue to be a challenge and worsen Nigeria’s health situation.
According to a national statistics report released by the UK government in August 2022, 13,609 health professionals left Nigeria for the UK between 2021 and 2022. Nigeria has the largest pool of health workers in Africa and a great capacity to train them, but there are still many gaps. Policies that promote retention need to be developed and implemented. Appropriate compensation should also be considered to limit the brain drain in rural and urban areas and while health workers leave the country.
