THE Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) said less than 45 per cent of registered doctors in Nigeria renewed their annual licence in 2023.
The MDCN Deputy-Registrar Victor Kolawole disclosed this at the induction/oath-takingceremony of the 2022/2023 Batch B Medicine and Surgery graduates of the Edo State University on Friday, April 26.
He noted that out of 130,000 doctors registered since 1963, only 58,000 renewed their licenses.
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Kolawole attributed the decline to the emigration of doctors and appealed to the inductees to remain in Nigeria and practice the profession.
He also urged the inductees to uphold the sanctity of the profession and called on the governor to improve facilities at the University Teaching Hospital.
“It is noteworthy that Edo State University Teaching Hospital Auchi is the first state-owned teaching hospital in Edo. I respectfully urge the state government to sustain efforts towards improving facilities at Edo State University Teaching Hospital, Auchi,” he said.
Doctors have continued to emigrate from Nigeria in search of greener pastures.
In 2018, it was reported that at least 12 Nigerian doctors were registered in the United Kingdom weekly.
The emigration of doctors has been a source of concern for Nigerians, as the country currently has a doctor-patient ratio of only about one doctor to every 2,220 people.
In 2023, Nigeria’s House of Representatives passed a bill seeking to amend the MDCN Act to prevent Nigeria-trained medical or dental practitioners from being granted full licenses until they have worked for a minimum of five years in the country.
The bill was met with stiff resistance by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) as doctors threatened to go on strike, citing poor working conditions and inadequate remuneration for medical practitioners in the country as significant reasons for the emigration.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.