Over 5,000 Resident Doctors Abandon Exams for Overseas Jobs

The Registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Professor Temitope Esan, has expressed deep concern over the growing exodus of resident doctors from the country, revealing that more than 5,000 have abandoned their specialist examinations to pursue opportunities abroad.

Speaking at the 2025 National Health Summit—organised virtually by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in partnership with the Resourceful Youth Network Initiative—Prof. Esan warned that Nigeria is facing a silent but dangerous erosion of its medical residency training system.

According to him, while over 8,500 resident doctors are currently registered in the college’s database, only between 2,500 and 3,000 are actually participating in the college’s professional examinations. This stark disparity, he said, is a clear sign that thousands are emigrating shortly after commencing residency.

“What will really interest you is that we currently have over 8,000 doctors in our register,” Esan noted. “But out of these, only about 2,500 to 3,000 subscribe to our exams. That tells you these people are leaving early—just one or two years into the programme, and they are gone.”

Describing the trend as a national emergency, the registrar likened the situation to a production factory running out of raw materials, warning that Nigeria risks a future without enough medical specialists if urgent steps are not taken.

He further explained that although the college is not responsible for employing doctors, it has worked to make its examinations more transparent and accessible, sanctioning any irregularities in the process. However, deteriorating working and training conditions across public hospitals continue to drive young doctors abroad.

On funding, Esan clarified that the NPMCN merely facilitates the disbursement of government allocations to doctors through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), adding that the college only recently overcame longstanding challenges in paying its own examiners appropriately.

Echoing these concerns, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Professor Bala Audu, warned that Nigeria is heading towards a “devastating collapse in specialist care” as the country continues to lose its young medical workforce.

“We are yet to even see the real impact of this crisis,” Audu said. “Doctors are leaving now, but the real danger lies in the sharp decline in residents and specialists being trained in Nigeria.”

Audu, who also serves as the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, criticised the government’s response as insufficient, describing current retention policies and proposed reforms as “temporary and poorly implemented.”

According to him, chronic underfunding remains the root of Nigeria’s healthcare crisis, with most budget allocations spent on recurrent costs, while little is invested in infrastructure, training, and medical equipment.

He called for more efficient procurement processes and a shift towards strategic partnerships with manufacturers, arguing that only a significant upgrade in service delivery will reduce the country’s reliance on foreign healthcare.

“Medical tourism won’t end through legislation,” he said. “What we need is to build trust by offering competent, reliable local services. Nigerians will always seek care where they believe the best hands exist.”

To address the funding gap, Audu proposed the creation of a Sovereign National Health Fund that would empower select public and private hospitals to deliver world-class services, attract foreign patients, and boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.

He also noted that private universities have already begun reversing medical educational tourism and urged similar investments in the healthcare delivery sector.

Meanwhile, NARD President Dr. Tope Osundara stressed that resident doctors are the structural backbone of Nigeria’s healthcare system and must be prioritised in policy and funding decisions.

Speaking at the summit, he said the ongoing doctor emigration must be studied both as a loss and a potential “brain gain,” especially if the country can create an enabling environment to attract returning diaspora professionals.