UK licenses 91 Nigerian doctors in 2 weeks

UK licenses 91 Nigerian doctors in 2 weeks

The United Kingdom’s General Medical Council has licensed new 91 Nigerian-trained doctors.

THECONSCIENCEng gathered that the accreditation of the 91 doctors occurred over 15 days between October 10 and October 25, 2022.

The total number of Nigerian-trained doctors in the UK now stands at 10,387.

There are 5,210 associate specialists, 2,318 doctors in training, 1,837 general practitioners, and 1,273 specialists among the 10,387 doctors.

The accreditation of the 91 doctors came amidst cries by the Nigerian Medical Association against the brain drain bedevilling the health sector.

Apart from doctors, other categories of health workers are also migrating.

The statistics also showed that between January 1, 2022, and September 30, 2022, about 1,307 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed in the UK as Nigeria continues to battle one of the worst situations of brain drain in its history.

Nigerian doctors who got medical qualifications in schools outside the country are however not included in the data.

The NMA, while lamenting the high rate of medical brain drain, said Nigeria may import doctors in the future.

The country currently has the third-highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK after India and Pakistan.