BRAIN DRAIN OF THE NIGERIAN DOCTORS-A REVIEW

ABSTRACT Background: Human beings migrate around the world as human interaction is necessary for mental health, economic reasons, relaxation, and tourism. When the migration involves skilled workers and highly trained professionals, it leads to brain drain and attendant consequences. This is a review article on medical migration in Nigeria. Method: A search of the literature on the migration of doctors in Nigeria to developed countries was done using Google Scholar, AJOL, and PubMed using the word migration, brain doctors, brain drain of Nigerian doctors, Nigerian doctors in the USA, Nigerian doctors in the diaspora. Only literature related to the subject matter were included in the review. Conclusion: There is an increasing number of doctors who are leaving the shores of Nigeria to high-income countries for greener pastures. The push and pull factors contribute to medical migration in Nigeria. There are several negative and positive impacts of the brain drain of doctors in Nigeria. The negative impacts are on the healthcare system, on doctors left behind, medical education and the Nigerian economy. The Nigerian government, hospital management boards and committees, medical residency trainers and supervisors, postgraduate colleges, medical professional associations, and the public all have important roles to play to curb the brain drain of Nigerian healthcare workers