Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has raised concerns over the country’s worsening shortage of medical doctors, revealing that one doctor now serves about 3,500 patients.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Salako said the situation reflects a global shortage of healthcare workers, with developed countries recruiting professionals from nations like Nigeria to fill their own gaps.
“In Nigeria today, we have one doctor to 3,500 patients,” he said. “Even when we want to employ, we often can’t find enough doctors to meet WHO standards. This shortage fuels migration because demand drives movement.”
He acknowledged that Nigeria’s economic challenges have worsened the crisis but assured that the government is expanding medical training capacity to produce more health workers. However, he noted that results will take time.
Salako said the government plans to retain more healthcare workers by treating them as national assets, while allowing some to work abroad under structured arrangements that benefit the country.
On the use of locum (temporary) doctors, he explained that hospital chief executives have been given waivers to hire temporary staff to replace those who migrate, pending formal recruitment. Permanent employment, he added, involves multiple agencies and a lengthy approval process.
To address staffing gaps, the government has adopted a two-tier strategy — annual recruitment for permanent positions and temporary hiring between cycles. A universal protocol is also being developed to guide hospitals on locum employment terms and ensure fair opportunities for regular appointments.
