Nigeria’s healthcare system is facing a worsening manpower crisis as only about 55,000 doctors are currently practising in the country despite a population of more than 220 million people.
Medical experts raised the alarm over the growing shortage of doctors and healthcare workers during the Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
The conference, themed “Too Few Doctors, Too Many Patients: The Consequences of Manpower Shortage on the Mental Well-being of Nigerians,” examined the impact of the ongoing “Japa” migration trend on Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
Doctors warned that the increasing migration of Nigerian doctors abroad has deepened the shortage of medical professionals, reduced access to healthcare services and placed additional pressure on the few doctors remaining in the country.
The President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Omoti Ernest, disclosed that although more than 130,000 doctors are registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), only about 55,000 are actively practising in Nigeria.
He explained that the current doctor-to-patient ratio means one doctor is serving between 3,600 and 4,000 Nigerians, a figure far below the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of one doctor to 600 people.
Omoti said the shortage of doctors has affected healthcare delivery across the country, resulting in longer waiting periods, increased workload, burnout among medical professionals and declining quality of care.
He identified poor salaries, inadequate working conditions, insecurity, limited career growth opportunities and weak healthcare infrastructure as some of the major reasons Nigerian doctors are leaving the country.
The NMA president urged the Federal Government to tackle the healthcare manpower crisis by improving doctors’ welfare, increasing investment in hospitals, expanding specialist training programmes and creating better career opportunities.
He also called for improved security and incentives for doctors working in rural and underserved communities.
A Consultant Psychiatrist at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Dr Yesir Kareem, said the shortage of doctors has severely affected mental healthcare services in Nigeria.
Kareem revealed that more than 40 million Nigerians are living with mental health conditions, but about 85 per cent of them lack access to proper mental healthcare due to the shortage of specialists.
He warned that untreated mental health challenges could lead to serious social and economic consequences, including substance abuse, family breakdown, unemployment, delayed diagnosis and preventable deaths.
The psychiatrist also disclosed that Nigeria currently has fewer than 150 psychiatrists, making mental healthcare increasingly difficult to access, especially in rural areas.
The President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Dr Veronica Nyamali, described the shortage of doctors as a national healthcare crisis, noting that many consultants are now handling workloads meant for multiple specialists.
She said the migration of trained doctors has affected specialist training and created gaps across different levels of healthcare delivery.
Nyamali added that the shortage of mental health professionals has increased treatment costs and limited access to essential psychiatric services.
She also linked the crisis to challenges within Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector, stating that the reduced presence of some pharmaceutical companies has affected access to newer mental health medications.
The President of the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba, Dr Okuwoga Temitope, said resident doctors are increasingly experiencing stress, burnout and emotional exhaustion due to the shortage of medical personnel.
The association called on federal and state governments to strengthen healthcare funding, improve doctors’ working conditions, expand residency programmes and integrate mental health services into primary healthcare centres.
The doctors also advocated increased use of telemedicine and telepsychiatry services, alongside public awareness campaigns to encourage early treatment and reduce stigma around mental health.