The Federal Government has canvassed for an Healthcare workforce migration policy with the United Kingdom that is structured, ethical and mutually beneficial, emphasizing it’s importance to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako Honourable Minister of State for Health & Social Welfare made this known in a keynote address delivered at the UK-Africa Health Summit organized by the Global Health Partnership at the Royal College of Physicians, London.
Themed ” Shared Solutions for Health for All”.
Dr. Iziaq stated that the theme is very germane to the principles of partnerships and collaborations existing amongst nations of the world, to actualize a robust and legally binding bilateral agreements with countries like the U. K on health care workforce migration.
In his keynote address, he explained that the country is presently facing severe shortages of healthcare professionals with adverse impacts on Nigeria’s health systems. These, according to him, included doctors, nurses and midwives, who migrated to the UK with the USA and Canada as other major destination countries.
He said “Health workforce migration from many parts of Africa which has increased in the last few years is a critical concern worsening the fundamental problems of shortage of skilled healthcare professionals with adverse impacts on our national health systems.
“This challenge is particularly intense in my country being the highest healthcare workforce exporting country in Africa with UK the key destination.
While addressing the gathering, Dr. Salako further buttressed his assertions by saying “Between 2020 and 2022, there has been a 145%, 70% and 900% increase in the number of doctors, nurses and midwives and, laboratory scientists respectively that requested for letters of good standing from their regulatory bodies in order to migrate out of Nigeria.
“68% of the doctors and 52% of the Nurses and midwives migrated to the UK with the USA and Canada being other major destination countries.”
To achieve government’s objective of universal health coverage agenda on Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative; Nigeria, the Minister stated, has developed a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration that is committed to engaging partners like the United Kingdom.
This strategy, the Minister emphasized, will strengthen government’s deliberate initiative for the health sector, to save lives, reduce physical and financial pain and, produce health for all Nigerians.
“We call for more collaboration and more investment by destination countries in capacity building and training, healthcare infrastructure development, healthcare financing and research in order to optimize mutual benefits of health workers migration.
“A good example is the Strengthening Collaboration and Advancing Clinical Excellence (SCALE) programme, an initiative of the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG) to effect collaboration between five UK Royal Medical Colleges, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and some federal teaching hospitals in Nigeria”, the Minister further stated.
Signed
Alaba Balogun
Deputy Director
Information & Public Relations
24 March 2025
