Nigeria May Only Have “Babalawos” for Health Care as Doctors Flee, Mimiko Warns

Ilesanmi AdekanbiJune 10, 2023

3 minutes read

The former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has raised the alarm over the looming health crisis in Nigeria as a result of the massive brain drain among doctors in the country. He urged the government to urgently address the situation or face the consequences in a few years.

The former governor, who expressed concern over the rate at which doctors are leaving the country for better opportunities abroad, said the government needs to act fast to prevent a situation where Nigerians will have no option but to rely on herbalists for treatment.

According to him, if the trend of doctors emigrating from the country in large numbers is not checked, in less than a decade Nigeria may only have native doctors to turn to for health care.

Mimiko spoke at the induction ceremony of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery for medical students of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, on Friday.

He said that it was unfair and unsustainable for Nigeria to train doctors and other health workers at a subsidised rate and then lose them to developed countries that offer them better working conditions and remuneration.

He said, “We are in an emergency. If we continue at this rate, in another five to 10 years, only the “babalawos” (herbalists) will be available to take care of us. It is an emergency, and the government must see it as an emergency. The government must disincentivise the rate at which our medical doctors and medical personnel are emigrating from this country.

“We cannot continue to hold this nation unaccountable. We can take advantage of the opportunity for our professionals to learn new skills. I don’t think any serious government can fold its arms while other countries decide to empty it of its human resources, especially in the health sector.

“We are a great country; we have an incredible young population that is ready. This country has the capacity to train two million to three million students, but those countries that stand at that end to benefit from this training must also do something to expand our capacity to train our people.

“The government must take it up at a very high diplomatic level. We cannot fold our arms and allow all our best human resources to live in this country. It is like a war situation. But I know one thing for sure: if the government does the necessary things, it can be a win-win situation for us as a nation.”

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He explained that he established the institution during his tenure as governor in order to help fill the gap of medical workers in the country, but lamented that other countries had been benefiting from those who had been trained without giving anything back to Nigeria.

Mimiko commended his successor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, for sustaining and improving the institution and for appointing Prof. Adesegun Fatusi who is the current Vice Chancellor of the university, based on merit.

Mimiko is a Nigerian medical doctor and politician who served as governor of Ondo State from 2009 to 2017. He is also a former Minister of Housing and Urban Development and former Secretary to Ondo State Government. He is currently the National Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to reports, Nigeria loses over 1,800 doctors and healthcare workers every month due to brain drain. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has also decried the wave of brain drain that has hit the health sector, lamenting that no fewer than 50 medical doctors leave Nigeria weekly searching for greener pastures abroad.

The NMA has called on the federal and all state governments to declare a state of emergency on the health sector to address the issue of brain drain among medical doctors.