NARD raises alarm over Nigeria’s Doctor-to-Patient ratio

…says ratio now 1 to 10,000

By Precious Mark

The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman has expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening doctor-to-patient ratio noting that Nigeria does not have up to 55,000 doctors actively working for its 220 million population.

This was contained in a statement by Dr. Suleiman on Sunday.

The NARD President’s statement comes amid growing concern over medical brain drain, with thousands of Nigerian doctors migrating yearly to the UK, US, Canada, and other countries in search of better pay and working conditions.

According to him, the figure of 55,000 doctors often quoted only reflects those registered with the regulatory body in Nigeria.

He said many of those registered doctors are no longer practising in the country, having relocated abroad.

“Nigeria does not have 55,000 doctors actively catering for 220 million people. Sad and scary but true. This number may simply reflect the number of Medical Doctors who registered with the regulatory body in Nigeria. Alot from the 55,000 registered are most likely not practicing in Nigeria,” he said.

Dr. Suleiman explained that if Nigeria had 55,000 doctors for 220 million people, the ratio would be 1 doctor to 4,000 patients.

However, he said the real situation is worse, with the ratio now closer to 1 doctor to 10,000 patients.

He however called on Nigerians to share their views on what they believe is responsible for doctors leaving the country in large numbers.