The Federal Government has increased the enrollment quota for medical, nursing, and other health professional schools from 28,000 to 64,000 annually.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, made this announcement on Friday during the sectoral ministerial press briefing in Abuja to mark President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office.
Over the years, a significant number of health workers in Nigeria have migrated to other countries due to inadequate equipment, worsening insecurity, poor working conditions, and a poor salary structure.
Data from the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria shows that approximately 1,056 consultants left the country between 2019 and 2023.
Additionally, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors reported that over 900 of its members left for Europe between January and September 2023.
Prof. Pate stated, “We have doubled the intake, the enrollment, the quotas of medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professionals’ schools from an enrollment target of 28,000 a year to 64,000 now.”
Regarding Primary Health Care Centres, the minister noted that at least 1,400 centers can now provide skilled birth attendants.
He mentioned that over 2,400 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and midwives, are being recruited to provide essential health services in rural areas.
Prof. Pate also highlighted that the Federal Government has disbursed the first tranche of N25 billion from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority.
He stated, “We put a condition that states that those who will access those have to comply with the fiduciary guidelines that have been provided, responding to lapses that have been observed over here so that the resources go to Nigerians. Twenty-three states have received those funds, and I believe that the rest of the states are just about to complete and receive their financing to channel through the PHCs.”
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had previously mentioned in October 2023 that the government had put strategies in place to increase admissions into medical and dental institutions.
Dr. Alausa noted that the 3,000 doctors produced annually in Nigeria were inadequate and that the mass exodus of licensed doctors and other health professionals to more developed countries would be discouraged by making the healthcare environment more attractive