Nigeria to reach WHO standards, 250,000 medical professionals are required

Nigeria needs more than 250,000 doctors, according to World Medical Association (WMA) President Dr. Osahon Enabulele, in order to achieve WHO standards for the number of doctors per 1,000 patients.

The issues that Nigeria’s healthcare system is experiencing, according to Enabulele, include a lack of funding, poor infrastructure, unemployment, poor working conditions, low pay, brain drain, the economy, inflation, and ineffective healthcare, among others.

He made the comments on Friday at a public lecture held in Benin City, Edo State, by the Federated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council.

Out of the fewer than 100,000 doctors in Nigeria, he bemoaned the fact that only 50,000 of them are currently engaged in active practise.

He said that there are less than 100,000 licenced physicians in the nation, which he deemed “grossly inadequate” to meet the country’s need for physicians per patient.

“A doctor should typically treat no more than 600 people at a time, but in Nigeria, that number is over 3,000. Therefore, in order to deal with the current situation, Nigeria requires more than 250,000 doctors.

“According to the most recent update of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s registration, there are fewer than 100,000 licenced doctors in the nation. Consider a doctor population of 98,000. Only 50,000 or so of the 98,000 total are currently practising in Nigeria. Asking about the remaining people would be a good idea. Due to the low pay, a lot of doctors have left the field and moved to other countries to practise.

He emphasised that for Nigeria to have a good healthcare system, political leaders must be committed to it.

He also bemoaned the fact that national political figures travel abroad to wait in lines before getting their blood pressure checked by less experienced doctors, which can be done easily at home.