Only 8,200 doctors are available to serve a population of over 20 million in Lagos State, far less than the estimated 30,000 needed.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has blamed the crisis on the continuous mass migration of healthcare workers, more commonly known as the “Japa syndrome.”
Dr. Babajide Saheed, the chairman of the NMA, emphasised the scope of the issue by pointing out that the number of doctors leaving Nigeria is still alarmingly high.
“We are losing doctors at an alarming rate,” he said. “Nobody can give an exact figure because the number is always fluctuating.”
The state’s healthcare system is under tremendous strain as a result of the medical staff exodus, which has led to lengthy wait times, overburdened hospitals, and a reduction in service quality.
Professor Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, recognised the situation and said that nurses, chemists and other medical personnel are also in limited supply.
In response, the state government has started a program to boost the number of qualified professionals and broaden medical education.
The state wants to increase student enrollment from 200 to 2,500 each year over the next five years, Abayomi stated at the handover of important hospital infrastructure to contractors for transformation into academic institutions.
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“The expansion is part of a broader strategy approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to mitigate the crisis,” he explained. “Our goal is to train more healthcare professionals to bridge the gap.”
The government’s strategy, in particular the choice to repurpose medical facilities rather than make investments in specialised healthcare services, has drawn criticism from the NMA.
Dr. Saheed criticized the move, saying, “Instead of reducing medical tourism, we are making it worse by converting renal and cardiac centres into offices. These facilities should be upgraded, not downgraded.”
The shortage of medical professionals is not unique to Lagos but reflects a broader national healthcare crisis. Over the past decade, thousands of Nigerian doctors have migrated to countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States in search of better working conditions, career growth, and higher pay.
Analysts in the health industry caution that the situation may worsen and cause Nigeria’s healthcare system to further deteriorate, as well as boost medical tourism, unless immediate steps are taken to retain healthcare personnel, such as better pay, better working conditions, and incentives.
