Nigerian doctors practising abroad regretting action, says MDCN

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has urged newly inducted foreign‑trained doctors to practice their profession in Nigeria rather than seeking opportunities abroad. According to the council, many doctors who migrated are now regretting their decision because of workplace discrimination. Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, Registrar of the MDCN, made these remarks on Thursday during the induction ceremony for 477 foreign‑trained medical and dental graduates—469 in medicine and eight in dentistry. He emphasized that, while doctors may wish to emigrate for better training facilities, they should remember that no other country can replace their own and consider returning home. “The issue of ‘Japa’ won’t do anybody any good,” he said, adding that those abroad often realize, later in their careers, that they have wasted time and should return to serve their people.

Sanusi also cautioned the new doctors against joining strikes organized by medical associations. Although they have the constitutional right to freedom of association, the council does not consider them members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD). He explained that participating in a strike would disrupt their structured training programmes, forcing them to restart at no cost to the government. “A strike is permissible under labour law with prior notice to the employer,” he noted, “but you must not abandon in‑patients who are under your care.” During any strike, the accident and emergency unit must remain staffed according to a duty roster to provide first aid and direct patients elsewhere, rather than completely closing the facility.

Representing the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ngozi Azodo—Director of Planning, Research and Statistics—echoed concerns about the mass exodus of doctors and called on the inductees to provide selfless service. “When people come to you in their most vulnerable state, they know you can help them. Don’t exploit them,” she urged. She appealed to the doctors to commit to caring for patients, society, and the community to the best of their ability, emphasizing that doctors must also look after their own well‑being in order to serve humanity effectively.