Peter Okoye, PBA Journalism MenteeLagos State Governor’s wife, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has called for the return of Nigerian medical doctors who migrated abroad.
She stressed the need for the ugly development to be addressed as the health sector has continued to suffer the effect of brain drain as a result of the mass migration of medical professionals.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu made the call in Lagos during the Healthcare Transformation Coalition Interactive Session, themed: ‘Imperatives of Addressing Brain Drain in the Health Sector’.
She said that the ugly trend has to be reversed through unity, adding that it requires a good working system to put it to an end.
In her speech, the first lady urged medical practitioners who travel abroad for further studies and training to ensure that they return at the end of their programme to help improve the healthcare services in Nigeria.
In his contribution, the state commissioner for health, Akin Abayomi said that brain drain isn’t a new trend, as it has been in place since the time of Nigeria’s independence. He noted that Nigeria has a good population with youth making up to 70 per cent, thereby forcing some youths to move out of the country in search of greener pastures.
“It has been happening since Nigeria got independent in 1960. Brain drain is not specific to any discipline. It is dynamic. Nigeria, especially Lagos has a massive youth population. 70 per cent of the youths are under the age of 30.
“So, our pyramid is very wide. When you look at the demographic profile of the United Kingdom (UK), Japan, and the United States of America (USA), it is upside down.
“They have a very low birth rate, so most of the people in the UK and the developed world are elderly population and their pyramid is turned upside down which forces them to look to countries that have a proper pyramid to recruit human capital.
“So, Nigeria and Lagos by the virtue of its demographic profile is a natural exporter of human expertise.”
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