“What Are You Really Doing in This Country?”: Emigration Intentions of Nigerian Doctors and Their Policy Implications for Human Resource for Health Management

Abstract

The emigration of doctors from Nigeria has been on the increase in recent years, with no obvious efforts to manage or mitigate the negative impacts of this growing trend on the already weak health system. This study assessed the emigration intentions of doctors undergoing residency training at the premier tertiary healthcare center in Nigeria and the factors that influence these intentions. This mixed-method study was cross-sectional in design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to identify the factors that influence the emigration intentions of resident doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were also conducted to further explore the push and pull factors identified from the survey and their migration preferences. A total of 244 resident doctors completed the questionnaires and 10 participated in the IDIs. Overall, 57.4% of the respondents had emigration intentions and 34.8% had made various attempts at emigrating. Major factors that encouraged resident doctors to emigrate to developed countries included better working and living conditions, good salary and the opportunity for career advancement in destination countries. Family ties was the single most important factor that deterred resident doctors from emigrating. The UK was found to be the top preferred destination. Strategic approaches and multisectoral collaborations will be required to address doctors’ emigration from Nigeria. These efforts should be targeted at not just the health sector but should also include the social and economic aspects of the lives of resident doctors, to improve their living conditions.

Physician emigration from Nigeria and the associated factors: The implication to safeguarding the Nigeria Health System

“…Although the proportion of physicians who are either not willing or undecided to continue practice in Nigeria is close to 88% of Nigerian doctors previously reported to be seeking work opportunities abroad, [14] the proportion of those who want to leave Nigeria is distantly below the 57.4% emigration intention reported in a study among resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan South-West Nigeria. [15] The discrepancies between our nding and those of previous studies may be due to a changing trend in emigration pattern or varying characteristics of the research participants; our respondents were drawn from several institutions in the six geo-political zone of Nigeria and included doctors with varying age distributions, levels of training, quali cations, work experience, remunerations and possibly varying levels of job satisfaction.…”

“…Based on documented physician population in Nigeria and reported emigration intention, [12,15] a minimum sample size of 413, including 10% anticipated non response rate, was estimated using the Cochran formula for sample proportions as was reported by Singh and Masuku. [21] All physicians registered and currently practicing in Nigeria were included in the study while those who had emigrated to other countries of the world at the time of data collection were excluded.…”

“…[13] In 2017, a survey report revealed that 9 in 10 (88%) Nigerian doctors were seeking work opportunities abroad, [14] and recently, Adebayo et al reported that 57.4% of resident doctors in a tertiary hospital in South-West Nigeria had emigration intentions and 34.8% had made various attempts at emigrating. [15] A foreboding trend has been shown in more recent studies due to the common resolve of Nigerian medical students to practice medicine abroad after graduation in Nigeria, [16,17] suggesting that Nigeria is training physicians more for other countries than for her growing population.…”

Assessment of job satisfaction among resident doctors in a public healthcare facility in Enugu state Southeast Nigeria

“…31 The migration of resident doctors from Nigeria signifies a huge problem in the Nigerian healthcare system as it leads to brain drain and its dire consequences. 31,32 This study showed that there were strong associations between salary levels, area of specialization (being a surgical resident), years in residency training, and overall job satisfaction. Though on further analysis, none of these factors was found to be a predictor of overall job satisfaction.…”

Consolidating and Upscaling Molecular Research Capacity in Nigeria: On Who's Account?

“…Under these frustrating and limiting conditions, and with the incessant trade disputes between the Nigerian government and academic researchers, many of these highly skilled molecular researchers are forced to seek employment in other countries in search of greener pastures (Adeloye et al, 2017 ; Isbell and Ojewale, 2018 ). Hence, a critical mass of the molecular research potential emigrates (Adebayo and Akinyemi, 2021 ; Maxmen, 2021 ) leaving behind mostly those who have the capacity to engage in other ventures to augment their earnings. The distraction that comes with trying to augment the poor research remunerations ultimately hinders these remaining researchers from giving the requisite or full attention to their research, leading to a further decline in molecular research capacity and output.…”