Dr Fatima Kyari, the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), has revealed that only 58,000 doctors renewed their annual practising licenses in 2023 due to a brain drain in the healthcare sector.
She disclosed this during the induction/oath-taking ceremony of 20 newly qualified doctors at the Edo State University, Uzairue.
Dr. Kyari emphasized that the MDCN is tasked with regulating the practice of medicine, dental, and alternative medicine in Nigeria. She highlighted that since its inception 61 years ago, the council has registered 130,000 medical doctors to practice in the country.
However, she expressed concern over the brain drain phenomenon, stating, “Only 58,000 doctors have renewed their annual practising license in the year 2023 following the increase in migration of doctors outside the country.”
Dr. Kyari, represented by the Deputy Registrar, Dr. Victor Kolawole, underscored the importance of the induction of the 20 newly qualified doctors in supplementing the existing workforce in the health sector.
She urged the inductees to uphold the profession’s ethics, cautioning that the council is mandated to regulate the activities of practitioners and punish offenders.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, highlighted the upgrade of the central hospital in Auchi to a teaching hospital, which has improved facilities for training medical students and uplifted the standard of healthcare services in Edo North and its environs.
Prof. Aluyor charged the inductees to uphold the profession’s ethics and expressed confidence that they would bring honour to the university and MDCN. He also commended Governor Godwin Obaseki for his unwavering support for the university.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, has counselled young doctors not to rush into leaving the country for overseas practice, cautioning that the grass may not be greener on the other side.
His advice was delivered during the formal administration of an oath to 416 foreign-trained doctors by the MDCN at an induction ceremony in Abuja.
The minister implored them to consider staying in Nigeria to contribute to improving the health sector and national development.
