Nigerian govt, Lagos to establish new medical university

As part of efforts to tackle the brain drain in the health sector, the Lagos State Government has announced plans to establish the University of Health and Medical Sciences before the end of 2024.

While speaking at the inauguration of the Femi Gbajabiamila General Hospital in Surulere, Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu revealed that the launch of the university will be a product of a strategic collaboration between the state and the Federal Ministry of Health.

Mr Sanwo-Olu noted that the initiative is aimed at significantly increasing the production of healthcare workers throughout the year, adding that Lagos State is poised as a model and the goal is to extend the initiative nationwide to tackle the persistent issue of medical migration.

According to him, the launch of the medical university is part of a comprehensive set of initiatives planned by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa.

Increase in annual enrollment

According to a separate statement signed by Mr Alausa, the medical university will integrate all general hospitals in the state as teaching hospitals, “aligning with practices in the United Kingdom and the United States.”

“This approach allows for a substantial increase in annual enrollment, with the university targeting the admission of 2,000-2,500 medical students, along with 3,500 nurses, 500 physiotherapists, biomedical engineers, and other allied healthcare professionals,” the statement reads in parts.

It noted that the Federal Government’s objective is to replicate this successful model in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

“This strategic expansion aims to enhance the production of medical staff and allied healthcare professionals nationwide, effectively addressing the challenge of brain drain in the healthcare workforce,” it added.

Retaining best talents

Speaking further at the inauguration, Mr Sanwo-Olu said one of the reasons for the initiative is “to scale up all training for youth that required to be trained in everything within our health space”

“We cannot sit back and fold our arms as a government that cannot intervene, so we will as a state leading the park and we hope that other states will take the initiative and set up this university to be able to produce more doctors every year,” he said.

He said the state is dedicated to providing the best facility to retain the best talent in the country.

“We will ensure that we put in required resources, and interventions, and improve the infrastructure and the training required in that sector,” he added.

Brain Drain

The exodus of healthcare professionals, especially doctors, pharmacists, and nurses to developed countries has been on the increase.

With a doctor-patient ratio over five times worse than the WHO recommendation, Nigeria has continued to lose hundreds of doctors annually to brain drain, a large number of them to the UK. Various statistics show that over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the UK between 2015 and 2022.

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Data documented by the development Research and Project Centre (dRPC) shows that in 2015, 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK; in 2016 the number increased to 279; in 2017 the figure was 475, in 2018, the figure rose to 852, in 2019 it jumped to 1,347; in 2020, the figure was 833 and in 2021, it was put at 932.

The continued emigration of health practitioners has led to a shortage of skilled health workers in the country, which has negatively affected the quality of healthcare services provided to the citizens.