Brain drain: Over 500 medical consultants left Nigeria – MDCAN

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Medical and Dental Consultants’Association of Nigeria, MDCAN has revealed that over 500 of its members have migrated from Nigeria to abroad for better working condition.
The newly elected MDCAN President, Mohammad Aminu Mohammad disclosed this while reading a communique at a press briefing on yesterday.
The press conference was to mark the end of the Biennial Delegates Meeting, BDM, of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, held in Kano from Monday, September 4 to Sunday, September 10 where they elected new executive members.
The theme of the meeting was “Medical Education at a Crossroad: Challenges of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education in Nigeria and Way Forward.
Responding to a question by a journalist, Mr Mohammad, a professor, said the medical consultants are leaving the country in search for greener pastures because of the bad working conditions in Nigeria.
According to Mr Mohammad, had the Nigerian government not neglected the health sector, no medical practitioner would want to leave his dear country to work abroad.
He said the association could not ban the medical consultants from leaving Nigeria as , according to him, that is an issue that has to do with human Right.
“They are leaving because they feel that is better for them. If the is no improvement in the current condition, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of working condition, in terms of security, then it is very difficult to prevent medical consultants from leaving this country.
“By statistics at our disposal, over 500 highly trained consultants and doctors, including trainers of medical students have left Nigeria
“We are therefore appealing to the federal government to as a matter of urgency, address this problem by investing heavily in health sector. The government also should improve the welfare of medical doctors, aimed at tackling the brain drain in the country,” he said.
The President lamented that the Japa syndrome has affected medical studies in clinical schools.
According to him, some departments are closing due to paucity medical teachers that left for abroad, calling on the government to look into the problem and be proactive.
“The country has continued to produce the finest and highest numbers of clinical experts in sub-Saharan Africa, with our graduates both at the basic and postgraduate levels breaking records worldwide.”