Only 6,000 Medical Experts Left in Nigeria, MDCAN

THE Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has revealed that only about 6,000 consultants are left in Nigeria.

The president of MDCAN Prof. Muhammad Mohammad who stated this during the associations National Executive Council meeting in Ilorin said majority of consultants from Nigeria are seeking greener pastures abroad.

According to Mohammad, over 1300 medical consultants left the country in the last five years leaving about 6000 as at February 2024 adding that the number will continue to dwindle as the retirement age for medical consultants is 60 years.

“About 1,700 consultants are above 55 years of age which means in the next five years, they are going to leave the services on retirement,” he said.

The MDCAN president emphasised that as long as the country produces only one or two consultants per annum, the number of consultants would continue to dwindle.

“You see, the replacement cannot keep up with the loss from the ‘Japa’ syndrome as well as from retirement,” he said.

He however commended the government for its efforts toward finding solutions to the challenges while expressing hope that their efforts will yield lasting solutions.