Prof. Taiwo Obindo, President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), has disclosed that no fewer than 100 psychiatric doctors have left the country to practice abroad in the past year.
Speaking with the newsmen on Thursday, Prof. Obindo examined the alarming rate of brain drain affecting the psychiatric profession in Nigeria in 2023.
READ ALSO: NPC awaiting President’s nod for census – Commissioner
He emphasized that the psychiatric profession is the worst hit by this exodus, noting that the phenomenon is not limited to doctors but also includes psychiatric nurses, other caregivers and health workers in the field.
“For every five psychiatric doctors trained in Nigeria, three leave the country to practice abroad,” Obindo lamented, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Obindo attributed this trend to the inability of the country to maintain, retain, and sustain its medical personnel despite having the necessary training facilities.
-Advertisement-
“Having a psychiatric qualification, experience, or certificate is almost like a visa on its own because medical institutions abroad are actively seeking such personnel and are ready to offer them attractive remuneration,” he noted.
The APN President further stated that while the exact number of those who have left might be elusive, he could categorically confirm that more than 100 trained psychiatric doctors have migrated abroad in the last year alone.
“I can categorically state that more than 100 trained psychiatric doctors have left to practise abroad in the last one year.”
“As I am speaking to you now, one psychiatric practitioner somewhere is either leaving or planning to leave the country to practice abroad. It is as rampant and bad as that,” Obindo stressed.
We do everything possible to supply quality news and information to all our valuable readers day in, day out and we are committed to keep doing this.
Your kind donation will help our continuous research efforts.
-Advertisement-
-Want to get the news as it breaks?-
