Crisis of Brain Drain in Nigeria’s Health Sector: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Path Forward
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMA_11_2025Keywords:
- Brain Drain,
- Health Professionals,
- Infant Mortality,
- Maternal Mortality,
- Medical Tourism
Abstract
Brain drain represents an existential threat to the health ecosystem in Nigeria as an increasing number of health professionals migrate to developed and industrialized nations where they are guaranteed higher salaries, better job security, and a more conducive work environment. As of 2023, the United Kingdom remains the leading destination, with over 12,000 Nigerian doctors, while the United States, Canada, and Germany follow closely. While these migrations provide individual doctors with career advancement and financial security, they leave behind a healthcare system teetering on the edge. The shortage of healthcare professionals is already having profound effects on Nigeria’s health indices, including a staggering burden of maternal-infant morbidity and mortality. The solution to this medical “tsunami” consists of improving the welfare of healthcare workers, creating more job opportunities, and investing in modern healthcare infrastructure. Ultimately, sound political and visionary leadership is required for any lasting solution to the current healthcare brain drain, which threatens health security in Nigeria.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Zenab I. Yusuf, Deepa Dongarwar, Rafeek A Yusuf, Meishon Bell, Toi Harris Harris, Hamisu M. Salihu, Social Determinants of Overweight and Obesity Among Children in the United States , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Amina Abdullahi, Hassan Adam Murtala, Aisha Adam Abdullahi, Amina Aminu, Muktar H. Aliyu, Sani H. Aliyu, Ololade D. Adeyemi, Deepa Dongarwar, Jordi B. Torrelles, Gambo Aliyu, Hamisu M. Salihu, Drivers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus among Pregnant Women in Conflict and Non-conflict Zones of Nigeria , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 14 No. Continuous (2025): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Devon Madelyn Rupley, Deepa Dongarwar, Hamisu M. Salihu, Allison M. Janda, Rachel Pope, Healthcare Access as a Risk-Marker for Obstetric Vesicovaginal Fistula in Malawi , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hamisu M. Salih, Deepa Dongarwar, Muktar H. Aliyu, Romuladus E. Azuine, Global Ranking of COVID-19-Related Mortality by Country using a Novel Pandemic Efficiency Index (PEI) , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 2 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hamisu M. Salihu, Amina A. Umar, Romuladus E. Azuine, Special Collection: Implementation Research Evidence for Prevention and Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage in High-Burden Low- and Middle-Income Countries , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 13 No. S1 (2024): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Zubairu Iliyasux, Amina A. Umar, Fatima S. Gaya, Nafisa S. Nass, Hadiza M. Abdullahi, Aminatu A. Kwaku, Taiwo G. Amole, Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed, Hadiza S. Galadanci, Hamisu M. Salihu, Muktar H. Aliyu, ‘We delivered at home out of fear’: Maternity Care in Rural Nigeria During the COVID-19 Pandemic , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 12 No. 1 (2023): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Ahmad Abdulhadi, Nasiru Abdullahi, Ibrahim Yusuf, Basheer I. Waziri, Kasimu Mamuda , Husna F. Ibrahim, Khadija Muhammad, Maryam M. Ibrahim , Aisha A. Abdullahi, Hassan A. Murtala, Muhammad A. Abbas, Hamisu M. Salihu, A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on Innovative Approaches in Tuberculosis Diagnosis: Challenges and Future Directions , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Muhammad Adamu Abbas, Hassan Adam Murtala, Fauziyya S. Abdullahi, Abubakar L. Yusuf, Aisha Adam Abdullahi, Amina Aminu, Aisha Mustapha, Eknath Naik, Hamisu M. Salihu, Intent to Receive Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among School-going Pre-teens and Adolescent Girls , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 14 No. Continuous (2025): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hamisu M. Salihu, Deepa Dongarwar, Toi B. Harris, Third Annual Summer Research Summit on Health Equity Organized by the Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA on June 9, 2020: ABSTRACT: Advancing Health Equity Through Innovation , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. S3 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Deepa Dongarwar, Hamisu M. Salihu, Place of Residence and Inequities in Adverse Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes in India , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
Similar Articles
- Elizabeth Armstrong, Priya Srinivasan, Dawood Azeemy, Fayja Habib, Ernest Alema-Mensah, COVID-19 Stressors and Maternal Mental Health in Georgia, United States: Sources, Effects, and Recommendations , Vol. 14 No. Continuous (2025): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Armand Duclaire Kemo, Bruno Kenfack, Jérôme Ateudjieu, Partograph Utilization and its Determinant Factors among Healthcare Providers during Childbirth in West Cameroon , Vol. 14 No. Continuous (2025): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Manpreet Singh Khurmi, Felix Sayinzoga, Atakilt Berhe, Tatien Bucyana, Assumpta Kayinamura Mwali, Emmanuel Manzi, Maharajan Muthu, Newborn Survival Case Study in Rwanda - Bottleneck Analysis and Projections in Key Maternal and Child Mortality Rates Using Lives Saved Tool (LiST) , Vol. 6 No. 2 (2017): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Juliana Y. Enos, Richard D. Amoako, Innocent K. Doku, Utilization, Predictors and Gaps in the Continuum of Care for Maternal and Newborn Health in Ghana , Vol. 10 No. 1 (2021): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Gopal K. Singh, Anagha Lokhande, Romuladus E. Azuine, Global Inequalities in Youth Mortality, 2007-2012 , Vol. 3 No. 1 (2015): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Romuladus E. Azuine, Janna Murray, Noor Alsafi, Gopal K. Singh, Exclusive Breastfeeding and Under-Five Mortality, 2006-2014: A Cross-National Analysis of 57 Low- and-Middle Income Countries , Vol. 4 No. 1 (2015): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Wah Wah Myint, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Knowledge and Stigma: Findings from a Cross-sectional Survey , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hyunjung Lee, Gopal K. Singh, Psychological Distress and Heart Disease Mortality in the United States: Results from the 1997-2014 NHIS-NDI Record Linkage Study , Vol. 9 No. 3 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Musawenkosi H L Mabaso, Thoko Ndaba, Zilungile L Mkhize-Kwitshana, Overview of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Deaths in South Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, Progress and Future Prospects , Vol. 2 No. 2 (2014): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Brianna L. Smith, Sara Zizzo, Anouk Amzel, Sarah Wiant, Molly C. Pezzulo, Sarah Konopka, Rachel Golin, Alexandra C. Vrazo, Integration of Neonatal and Child Health Interventions with Pediatric HIV Interventions in Global Health , Vol. 7 No. 1 (2018): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Abstract Views: 4845
PDF Views/Downloads: 615
HTML Views/Downloads: 186
Published
2025-05-16
Dimensions Citation count:
How to Cite
A. Umar, A., M. Salihu, H., & E. Azuine, R. (2025). Crisis of Brain Drain in Nigeria’s Health Sector: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Path Forward. International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, 14(Continuous), e011. https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMA_11_2025
Issue
Section
EDITORIAL | BRAIN DRAIN
License
Copyright © 2025 Amina A. Umar, Hamisu M. Salihu, Romuladus E. Azuine. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc., USA.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , which permits others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, provided the original author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the same terms.