RismadarVoice Reporters, June 18, 2026
Medical professionals have raised serious concerns over Nigeria’s worsening healthcare workforce crisis, revealing that only about 55,000 doctors are currently practising in the country despite a population exceeding 220 million.
The warning was issued during the Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, where experts linked the ongoing “Japa” migration trend to declining healthcare access, particularly in mental health services.
According to the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Omoti Ernest, although more than 130,000 doctors have been registered by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, only about 55,000 remain actively practising in Nigeria.
He noted that the country currently has roughly one doctor for every 3,600 to 4,000 people, far below the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of one doctor to about 600 people.
Ernest attributed the shortage largely to the migration of healthcare workers seeking better opportunities abroad, citing poor remuneration, inadequate working conditions, insecurity, limited career advancement opportunities, and insufficient investment in healthcare infrastructure as major push factors.
According to medical experts at the conference, over 16,000 Nigerian doctors have emigrated in the past five years, while an estimated 94,000 doctors and nurses have left the country since the migration wave intensified.
Consultant Psychiatrist Yesir Kareem warned that the manpower shortage has become particularly devastating for mental healthcare delivery.
He disclosed that more than 40 million Nigerians are living with mental health disorders, yet approximately 85 per cent lack access to professional treatment.
“Only about 55,000 doctors remain to serve over 220 million Nigerians. The shortage of psychiatrists and mental health professionals is creating a widening treatment gap and leaving millions without adequate care,” he said.
Kareem added that untreated mental illnesses contribute to family instability, substance abuse, unemployment, delayed diagnoses and premature deaths, while also causing significant economic losses.
The President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, Veronica Nyamali, described the situation as a national crisis.
She revealed that Nigeria currently has fewer than 150 psychiatrists serving the entire population, forcing many specialists to handle workloads that should ordinarily be shared among several professionals.
“There are shortages at every level. Work that should be done by four psychiatrists is now being handled by one or two people. Consultants are increasingly forced to perform duties meant for junior doctors because those doctors have left the country,” she said.
Nyamali also warned that the scarcity of specialists has made mental healthcare more expensive and inaccessible, particularly in rural communities where psychiatric services are largely unavailable.
She further expressed concern over the growing reliance on traditional and faith-based healers due to the lack of professional mental health services, while stressing the need for collaboration to eliminate harmful treatment practices.
The President of the ARD, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Okuwoga Temitope, said resident doctors are increasingly suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety and depression as a result of overwhelming workloads caused by manpower shortages.
Medical professionals at the conference called on federal and state governments to improve salaries and welfare packages, expand specialist training programmes, modernise healthcare infrastructure, strengthen healthcare financing and create incentives to retain skilled personnel.
They also advocated the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare centres, wider adoption of telepsychiatry and increased public awareness campaigns aimed at reducing stigma and encouraging early treatment.
The doctors warned that unless urgent measures are taken to stem the exodus of healthcare workers, Nigeria’s healthcare system could face even greater challenges in meeting the medical needs of its growing population.
