By Adetokunbo FAKEYE
The Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako has charged destination countries; United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada among others, on more robust, legally binding bilateral agreements and investment in training programs in order to ensure that migration contributes more positively to both destination and source countries.
Speaking at the UK-Africa Health Summit organized by the Global Health partnership, held at the Royal College of Physicians, London between March 18th and 19th, 2025, Dr Salako while discussing the theme, “Shared Solution for Health for All”, said the collaboration has become necessary in order to achieve the ultimate goal of health for all of humanity.
He noted that the healthcare workforce migration is particularly intense in Nigeria being the highest healthcare workforce exporting country in Africa with UK the key destination.
Given the stats, he said, “Between 2020 and 2022, there has been a 145%, 70% and 900% increase in the number of doctors, nurses and midwives and laboratory scientists respectively that requested for letters of good standing from their regulatory bodies in order to migrate out of Nigeria.
“68% of the doctors and 52% of the nurses and midwives migrated to the UK with the USA and Canada being other major destination countries.
“We call for more collaboration and more investment by destination countries on capacity building and training, healthcare infrastructure development, healthcare financing and research in order to optimize mutual benefits of health workers migration. It is in the interest of destination countries that healthcare professionals from source countries are well trained”.
The Honourable Minister noted that the migration of healthcare workforce has prompted “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to developed a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration as a forward looking mechanism to link migration with the UCH aspirations of the government, makes the best use of in-country health workers, harness out-country health workers’ contribution to strengthen our health system, promote bilateral and multilateral agreements on cross border health workers recruitment, advance whole of society approach and support data driven decision making”.
He noted other efforts of President Tinubu to include “diligently implementing the National health act 2014 which provides that at least 1% of the consolidated revenue in addition to contribution from sub-national governments, grants from international donors and the private sector is pooled together to provide a minimum package of health services.
“This basic healthcare fund is being deployed to strengthen primary healthcare, ensure social health insurance for the poor and vulnerable and provide national emergency medical services”.
He stated further that “Nigerians health workers in the UK and other destination countries have been at the forefront of promoting partnership and skills transfer, providing expert services and mobilizing resources to support health development initiatives in the country.
“A good example is the Strengthening Collaboration and Advancing Clinical Excellence (SCALE) programme, an initiative of the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG) to effect collaboration between five UK Royal Medical Colleges, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and some federal teaching hospitals in Nigeria.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare welcomes this initiative and will give all needed support to ensure its actualization and full implementation.
“We will ensure continuous robust diaspora engagement as a critical element to making partnership with destination countries like UK works more efficiently”.
He also appreciated donor countries for their support over the years and strongly calling for a reversal of the aids cut or freeze, while advocated for mutual discussion, mutually agreed phased withdrawal of aids and alternative interventions to improve the socio-economic conditions of aids recipient countries.
Earlier, Dr Salako thanked the Global Health Partnership (formerly THET) for organizing this summit over the years as a platform where global health leaders, policy makers, change agents and critical stakeholders can meet “to foster greater collaboration and multi-sector efforts aim at transforming health systems and strengthening partnerships between the UK and African countries.
While thanking also the organisers for inviting him to speak at the event and for the hospitality extended to him and hisy team throughout their stay, he acknowledge the contribution of the global Health Partnership (formerly Tropical Health Education Trust) and the Global Health Workforce Programme funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care for its contribution to strengthening the Nigeria health system through granting, exchange of skills, capacity building of various professionals, antimicrobial stewardship and so on.
Concluding, the Honourable Minister assured that “Nigeria is happy to be part of the partnership and is committed to mobilize domestic resources for the sustainability of the programme, as well as engaging with partners like the United Kingdom to develop frameworks that support skills exchange, capacity building, sustainable workforce development and the health security of our peoples”.
