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The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has raised concerns over the dwindling number of medical consultants in the country, with only 6,000 remaining as of February 2024.
Speaking at the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Ilorin, MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Mohammad, highlighted that 1,300 consultants have left Nigeria in the past five years due to the “Japa” syndrome—a wave of migration by professionals seeking better opportunities abroad.
Prof. Mohammad also warned of an impending crisis as a significant portion of the remaining workforce nears retirement.
“Approximately 1,700 consultants are over the age of 55, which means they will retire in the next five years, further depleting our already overstretched healthcare system,” he explained.
He noted that Nigeria’s ability to train new consultants is insufficient to counterbalance the losses from both emigration and retirement.
“We are only training one or two consultants annually, which is nowhere near enough to replace those leaving or retiring,” he said.
Earlier this week, Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) expressed similar concerns.
The CMDs warn that tertiary hospitals are at risk of being understaffed as doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals continue to exit due to inadequate pay and working conditions.