Health

Only 6,000 Medical Consultants Left In Nigeria Amid ‘Japa’ Syndrome – MDCAN

Only 6,000 Medical Consultants Left In Nigeria Amid ‘Japa’ Syndrome – MDCAN
  • PublishedJanuary 24, 2025

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has raised alarm about the significant decline in the number of medical consultants in the country, revealing that only 6,000 remain as of February 2024.

During the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Ilorin, on Thursday, MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Mohammad, shed light on the worrying trend, pointing out that 1,300 consultants have left Nigeria in the past five years due to the ‘Japa’ syndrome—a phenomenon where professionals migrate in search of better opportunities abroad.

Mohammad further emphasized that the situation is set to worsen, given the aging workforce in the sector.

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“Around 1,700 consultants are over 55, meaning that within the next five years, they’ll retire, further depleting our healthcare workforce,” he said.

The MDCAN president also highlighted the challenge of producing enough new consultants to fill the gaps. Only one or two new consultants are trained each year, which makes it increasingly difficult to replace those leaving the profession due to emigration or retirement.

“So you can see that the replacement cannot keep up with the loss from ‘Japa’ syndrome and from retirement,” he said.

This comes after the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) expressed concerns on Tuesday, warning that tertiary hospitals are at risk of becoming empty as doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers leave the country in large numbers, driven by poor compensation.

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