Movement of Nigerian doctors to other countries on employment will not affect the number of available ones in Nigeria because the country has them in abundant.
This is the assertion by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
Ngige who was responding to questions when he appeared on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme on Wednesday said Nigerian doctors were free to move.
His words: “I am not worried (about doctors moving out of the country). We have surplus. If you have surplus, you export. It happened some years ago here. I was taught Chemistry and Biology by Indian teachers in my secondary school days.
“There are surplus in their country and we also have surplus in the medical profession in our country. I can tell you this. In my area, we have excess.
“Who said we don’t have enough doctors? We have more than enough. You can quote me. There is nothing wrong in them travelling out. When they go abroad, they earn money and send them back home here. Yes, we have foreign exchange earnings from them and not just oil.”
He said it would be wrong to describe the movement of doctors abroad as brain drain.
He argued: “Will you call that brain drain? I know a couple of them who practise abroad but set up medical centres back home. They have CAT scan, MRI scan which even the government cannot maintain. So, I don’t see any loss.”
