Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has asserted that the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) would struggle to survive without the significant contribution of Nigerian medical professionals.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today program, Pate emphasized the heavy reliance of the UK on Nigerian-trained doctors, revealing that 67 percent of these professionals have migrated to the UK. He highlighted the critical role Nigerians play in the NHS, noting that 25 percent of the NHS workforce is composed of Nigerians.
Pate’s remarks follow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent approval of a Policy on Health Workforce Migration, aimed at addressing the exodus of Nigerian healthcare workers. The Minister clarified that the policy does not prevent migration but seeks to create a more conducive working environment in Nigeria, encouraging healthcare workers to stay.
“The UK will need Nigerian doctors. Sixty-seven percent of our doctors go to the United Kingdom, and 25 percent of the NHS workforce is Nigerian,” Pate stated. He added, “Nigerians are very vibrant, very entrepreneurial, and very capable wherever they are. If Nigerians hold back from the UK, for instance, the NHS will struggle to provide the services that many Nigerians are going there to get.”
He further explained the government’s stance on migration, saying, “We’re not stopping anyone from leaving. We’re accepting that migration is here to stay—people will leave, some will come back, and some will migrate here from elsewhere. You’re free to leave, but we will work on making the environment more conducive, to make you more likely to stay than leave, and to attract and incentivize those who’ve left, to come back.”
The new policy direction, approved by President Tinubu, is a key part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the healthcare system in Nigeria while addressing the challenges posed by the migration of healthcare professionals.
