According to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigerian health personnel who departed for better opportunities abroad are often recruited by other countries due to their extensive training in Nigeria.
Pate announced this on Thursday during a briefing hosted by the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Abuja.
“No country in the world now has enough health staff to meet its demands, which is why they are stealing from us. That is why industrialized countries are recruiting our doctors, since we train our doctors, nurses, and health professionals so effectively,” the minister explained.
He asked parents to encourage their children to pursue medical studies, as well as states to construct training institutes where new physicians and nurses could be trained to fill the void left by those who left the country to work overseas.
“So, what are we doing about it? We manage migration policy whereby we acknowledge that some will leave but let’s train more and the expansion of the training and that requires collaboration with the Ministry of Education but also the states themselves should have training institutions,” he said.
The health minister also appreciated those who have decided to stay back and serve the country.
“There are many health workers who could have left but are serving in this country because they want to contribute to Nigeria. I saw many of them and we should appreciate them,” he said.
At the Ministerial Press Briefing, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare @muhammadpate highlighted the excellent quality of medical training in Nigeria, and also shed light on the Federal Government’s plan to expand access to training opportunities.#FMINOBriefing pic.twitter.com/dkpQAlkoM6
— Mohammed Idris, FNIPR (@HMMohammedIdris) March 7, 2024
