Muhammad Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, revealed that the number of students admitted to medical, nursing, and other health-related schools has surged from 28,000 to 64,000 over the past year. On Friday, in Abuja, during a ministerial sectoral briefing preceding President Bola Tinubu’s first anniversary on May 29, Mr. Pate revealed that healthcare professionals in Nigeria persist in relocating overseas due to insufficient equipment, insecurity, unfavorable working environments, and inadequate salaries.
The expansion aims to bolster the healthcare workforce, addressing shortages and enhancing service delivery across various healthcare sectors. This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to strengthening the healthcare system and improving access to quality medical care for all Nigerians. Between 2019 and 2023, more than 1,000 medical consultants left the country. Further statistics show that more than 900 resident doctors moved to Europe in the first nine months of 2023.
Pate said, “We have doubled the intake, the enrollment, the quotas of medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professionals’ schools from an enrollment target of 28,000 a year to 64,000 now. “That is just the first step, the education sector will have to play its role. The states will have to play in to improve the infrastructure, the training, and the tools to produce more healthcare workforce because we need to produce more healthcare workforce given that we’re losing some so that we can serve the population of this country.”
The minister stated that 1,400 Primary Healthcare Centres are now equipped with skilled birth attendants, and over 2,400 health workers have been hired to work in rural regions. Pate also mentioned that the government has allocated N25 billion from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to 23 states through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority. He added that the remaining states are currently fulfilling the criteria to receive their allocations.
In October 2023, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health, revealed plans to boost admissions to medical and dental schools, recognizing the shortage of doctors in Nigeria. He stressed the need to improve the healthcare environment to prevent healthcare professionals from leaving for better opportunities abroad. This initiative aims to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system and retain skilled professionals.
