Nigeria's Health Workforce Crisis: Minister Addresses Summit

At the 2026 Global Health Summit held at the Royal College of Physicians in London, Nigeria's Minister of State for Health, Iziak Salako, raised alarms about the country's health workforce crisis, primarily driven by the mass migration of health professionals, commonly referred to as "japa." He noted that Nigeria currently has only four doctors per 10,000 people, significantly below the World Health Organization's recommended minimum of 10 per 10,000. Salako disclosed that between 2021 and 2022, 13,609 Nigerian health workers migrated to the UK, making Nigeria one of the largest sources of foreign-trained medical personnel for the country.

A survey indicated that 57% of Nigerian doctors are considering leaving for better opportunities abroad. The minister emphasized that each doctor leaving represents a substantial loss of public investment, often exceeding $200,000 in training costs.

He also mentioned ongoing government reforms under President Bola Tinubu aimed at strengthening the health sector, which faces challenges such as inadequate funding and reliance on out-of-pocket payments.