Nigerian doctors are free to leave the country, we have enough – Ngige 

Labour and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, has said that doctors who want to relocate in search of greener pastures overseas are free to do so as the country had enough medical personnel to take their place.

Ngige who said this while responding to a question on brain drain and the deliberate recruitment of Nigerian doctors by foreign embassies in Nigeria on Channel TV Sunrise Daily, Wednesday, insisted that there was nothing wrong with doctors leaving the country as they would continue to send foreign exchange home which could, in turn, grow the economy.

“No, I am not worried (about doctors leaving the country). We have surplus. If you have surplus, you export. It happened some years ago here. I was taught chemistry and biology by Indian teachers in my secondary school days.

“There are surplus in their country and we also have surplus in the medical profession in our country. I can tell you this. In my area, we have excess.

“Who said we don’t have enough doctors? We have more than enough. You can quote me. There is nothing wrong in them travelling out. When they go abroad, they earn money and send them back home here. Yes, we have foreign exchange earnings from them and not just oil.”

Asked if he was sure of what he was saying, he maintained that it was good for doctors to travel out as they would receive training from abroad and open up centres in Nigeria.

“Will you call that brain drain? I know a couple of them who practise abroad but set up medical centres back home. They have CAT scan, MRI scan which even the government cannot maintain. So, I don’t see any loss,” he said.

When asked if brain drain was not hurting the health sector, he said, “Brain drain will only be inimical when for instance neurosurgeons travel and we don’t have neurosurgeons here.”