The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, said only 6,000 consultants are left in the country.
MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Mohammad, said this on Thursday during the association’s National Executive Council, NEC meeting in Ilorin.
The meeting was themed, “Policy Making for Quality Healthcare Services: Engaging Policy Makers for Quality Healthcare Delivery.”
Mohammad explained that 6,000 consultants remain as of February 2024, lamenting that data showed that about 1,300 left Nigeria in the last five years.
According to him, the number will continue to dwindle as the retirement age for medical consultants is 60 years.
“About 1,700 consultants are above 55 years of age.
“This means that in the next five years, they are going to leave the services for retirement,” he said.
The MDCAN president emphasised that the number of consultants would continue to reduce, as long as the country produces only one or two per annum.
“So you can see that the replacement cannot keep up with the loss from ‘Japa’ syndrome and from retirement,” he said.
Mohammad commended the government for its efforts toward finding solutions to the challenges.
According to him, the association is hopeful that consultants will be able to serve up to 70 years, while other healthcare workers will continue to serve up to 65 years.
He noted that such a move would ensure that medical and dental consultants who remain in the country continue to give their expertise in the health field.
Mohammad also appealed to the government at all tiers to ensure medical lectures are placed on the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, addressing disparities in their emoluments.
“We also want to have an environment where we will be able to practice and deliver the best quality healthcare in Nigeria,” he said
