Nigeria has been losing a significant percentage of her healthcare work force to the western world in the past few decades. This is predicated on the fact that these workers are essential workers and are needed across the globe. The United Kingdom (UK), United States, Australia, etc. are some of the countries where most of these health workers move to. The economic advantage there and better working conditions there are among the top reasons for relocating. But some individuals just want to give their families a better start in life.
The situation of the Nigeria health system, among many other sectors, is abysmal. Non remuneration, strike actions, lack of facilities, lack of adequate funding, inter-professional rivalry, politicking, and an overall reduction in the standard of care all contribute to the desire of health workers to seek shelter elsewhere. Recently, the poise of the Nigerian government has contributed to the mass exodus with the government showing a lack of tact in addressing the brain drain in the country.
Better remuneration remains one of the most important ways to maintain a high level of commitment among workers. Prompt payment of salaries, better salary grade systems, payment of bonuses and recognition of outstanding workers will boost morale among health workers. For instance, a recent Prime Minister of the UK recognized the contribution of Nigerian health workers to the National Health Services of the UK with an official letter. This definitely helped to encourage the workforce, boosting morale across the globe.
Better work conditions is another important way to address brain drain in Nigeria. The state of the Nigerian health system is appalling with a lack of modern facilities, dearth of workforce, heavy work load, long uncompensated work hours, poor worker treatment, failing health insurance, etc. These and many more work related issues make the Nigerian health system unappealing to the health workers. The Nigerian government should call a state of emergency on the Nigerian health system and address the problems therein. Employing more workers, funding the health system more, procuring modern health facilities, etc. will make the Nigerian health system more appealing.
The health system is not insulated from the ills of the Nigerian “situation”. The rising insecurity, inflation, unstable power supply, poor transport system and pervasive corruption all contribute to the pressing need for those who have the opportunity to leave the country to do so. Everyday, health workers are subjected to these ills and even those who have a desire to remain begin to reconsider leaving the country for a better life elsewhere. A proactive approach by the government to improve the lives and livelihoods of her citizenry will aid to improve the attractiveness of the country as a whole and help keep the vital workforce of the country in the country. We could possibly attract foreign health workers if Nigeria becomes a better country to leave in.
Brain drain contributes to the already poor state of the Nigerian health system and by extension the country as a whole. Brain drain has some effects such as loss of human capital assets, lost income from the loss of tax of the migrated manpower to foreign countries and the loss of capital invested in the subsidized public education of migrated manpower. All these underscores the importance of addressing brain drain in Nigeria.
