A doctor who specializes in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery, Dr. Adefolaseye Adebayo, has criticized the Nigerian government’s plan to send doctors and other health workers to Saint Lucia. She said it doesn’t make sense when the country is already struggling with a shortage of medical workers.
Dr. Adebayo said that although the idea looks good on paper, in reality, Nigeria doesn’t have enough doctors to send abroad.
She was responding to a recent agreement between Nigeria and Saint Lucia that allows skilled Nigerian professionals to work in the Caribbean country. This deal is meant to strengthen cooperation between countries in the Global South and reconnect with African communities overseas.
The agreement was signed in Saint Lucia’s capital, Castries, by Yusuf Yakub, head of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps, and Janelle Modeste-Stephen, a top official in Saint Lucia’s Foreign Ministry.
As part of the deal, Nigerian professionals like teachers, doctors, and agricultural experts will work in Saint Lucia for two years. The Nigerian government will pay for their salaries and travel, while Saint Lucia will provide housing and local support.
However, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has criticized the agreement, calling it a bad decision at a time when Nigeria’s healthcare system is in serious trouble.
Dr. Adebayo, posting on her X (formerly Twitter) account, said this move by President Tinubu’s government shows that they are ignoring the real crisis in the country’s health sector.
She said it was shocking that the government would make such a deal, even though Nigeria already has far fewer doctors than it needs.
She pointed out that the World Health Organization recommends one doctor for every 600 patients. But in Nigeria, one doctor takes care of about 5,000 people. Yet, the government acts like there are more than enough doctors.
Using her own field as an example, Dr. Adebayo said there are fewer than 500 ENT surgeons in the entire country. In Lagos, there are fewer than 30, and many of them spend part of their time abroad.
She explained that there are very few experienced doctors left to serve Nigeria’s over 200 million people. Meanwhile, younger doctors are leaving the country in large numbers to find better jobs elsewhere.
She said these young doctors no longer listen when asked to stay in Nigeria. Many are already preparing to leave, and those who stay are only doing so temporarily while they prepare to take exams to work abroad.
Dr. Adebayo urged the president to listen to the NMA and make serious changes to fix the health system in Nigeria.
She added that these kinds of international agreements won’t help ordinary Nigerians. She said the Tinubu government has not done enough to improve or fund the country’s failing healthcare system.
She ended by saying, “President Tinubu, I don’t know who is advising you, but please listen to the NMA. Fix the health system. It will be difficult and expensive, but once improved, Nigeria’s health system can even serve other African countries. Nigerian doctors are among the best in the world.”
