Former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, has expressed worry over the rate at which medical professionals are leaving Nigeria in search of better prospects overseas.
He stressed that the situation is alarming, and said if it continues, only native doctors may be available to provide healthcare services in the next couple of years.
Mimiko shared his concerns at the first group of medical doctors’ induction ceremony at the University of Medical Sciences, UNIMED, located in Ondo Town.
He also said that it is extremely concerning that Nigerian medical professionals are trained at subsidised rates before leaving for industrialized nations.
The formrgovernor explained that he established the institution during his administration to address the shortage of medical workers in the country.
Mimiko further suggested that the government should incentivize medical professionals to stay in the country and discourage other nations from poaching them.
“We are in an emergency. If we continue at this rate, in another five to ten years, only the “babalawos” (herbalists) will be available to take care of us.
“It is an emergency, and the government must see it as an emergency. The government must disincentivize the rate at which our medical doctors and medical personnel are emigrating out of this country,” he said.
