Nigeria’s healthcare system is facing an unprecedented exodus of doctors as worsening economic conditions and poor remuneration drive a fresh wave of migration, popularly called Japa, under Bola Tinubu’s administration.
A Sunday Vanguard investigation reveals that while resident doctors in Nigeria earn an annual salary of about ₦2 million to ₦4 million, their counterparts in the United Kingdom take home an average of £52,000 to £74,000 per year, translating to over ₦50 million at current exchange rates.
This staggering gap continues to lure thousands of Nigerian-trained doctors away from home, leaving hospitals critically understaffed and patients stranded.
The crisis was underscored by the tragic death of Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, who reportedly died after a 72-hour non-stop shift earlier this month.
His death highlighted the deadly mix of overwork, poor pay, and staff shortages confronting Nigeria’s medical workforce.
According to the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK, more than 1,197 Nigerian doctors were licensed to practice in Britain between May and December 2023 alone, bringing the total number of Nigerian-trained doctors in the UK to over 12,000.
In the past eight years, more than 15,000 doctors have left Nigeria for greener pastures in the UK, United States, Canada, and Australia.
Despite handling nearly 70 percent of hospital care nationwide, resident doctors in Nigeria are forced to work long, exhausting shifts for salaries that barely cover living expenses.
A junior resident earns between ₦230,000 and ₦300,000 monthly, while senior residents take home only ₦450,000 to ₦650,000—figures that pale in comparison to the multi-million-naira annual pay of their foreign peers.
“It’s not uncommon for us to be on duty for 72 hours straight,” one exhausted senior registrar told Vanguard. “We save lives every day, but no one is saving us.”
The consequences are dire. Entire departments in federal and state hospitals are shrinking, with some specialties now staffed by fewer than five residents—far below the minimum required to run effective services. Patients face long waits, cancelled surgeries, and a collapsing system.
Health experts warn that unless government funding and salaries are urgently reviewed, Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure could slide into full-blown disaster.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for at least 15 percent of the national budget to be allocated to healthcare, as agreed under the Abuja Declaration, along with prompt payment of salaries, better working conditions, and incentives to retain doctors.
But for many doctors, the choice is already made. “Prestige does not pay bills,” said a weary resident. “When the UK offers ₦50 million a year and Nigeria offers ₦4 million, you don’t think twice.”
As Tinubu struggles to stabilise the economy, the mass flight of doctors underscores a painful reality: saving Nigeria’s doctors is no longer just a matter of professional welfare—it is a matter of national survival.
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