Nigeria Seeks Ethical Workforce Migration Policy with the UK
The Federal Government of Nigeria has called for a structured, ethical, and mutually beneficial healthcare workforce migration policy with the United Kingdom (UK) to address the country’s pressing shortage of medical professionals while ensuring sustainable health systems.
Speaking at the UK-Africa Health Summit in London, organized by the Global Health Partnership at the Royal College of Physicians, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health & Social Welfare, emphasized the importance of international collaboration in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The summit, themed “Shared Solutions for Health for All”, focused on fostering partnerships between African nations and global stakeholders in the healthcare sector.
In his keynote address, Dr. Salako highlighted the severe shortage of healthcare professionals in Nigeria, particularly doctors, nurses, midwives, and laboratory scientists, many of whom have migrated to the UK, USA, and Canada in search of better opportunities.
He noted that between 2020 and 2022, Nigeria witnessed a 145% increase in doctors, 70% in nurses and midwives, and 900% in laboratory scientists requesting letters of good standing from their regulatory bodies to facilitate migration.
“Health workforce migration from many parts of Africa has escalated in recent years, exacerbating the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals and negatively impacting our national health systems,” Dr. Salako stated. “Nigeria is the largest exporter of healthcare professionals in Africa, with the UK being the primary destination.”
To address this growing challenge, Dr. Salako reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to engaging with key partners like the UK under the newly developed National Policy on Health Workforce Migration. This initiative is part of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, aimed at improving health services, expanding healthcare access, and reducing financial and physical burdens on Nigerians.
“We call for greater collaboration and increased investment from destination countries in capacity building, healthcare infrastructure, financing, and research to optimize the mutual benefits of health workforce migration,” he added.
He cited the Strengthening Collaboration and Advancing Clinical Excellence (SCALE) programme, an initiative by the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG), as a model for effective collaboration.
The initiative fosters partnerships between five UK Royal Medical Colleges, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, and several federal teaching hospitals in Nigeria to enhance medical training and knowledge exchange.
