Why our doctors, nurses are in high demand abroad
Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo is a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, and Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos. Fabamwo in this interview with The Guardian gave reasons Nigeria-trained doctors and nurses are in high demand in Europe and America and what the hospital is doing to stem the tide. You were recently quoted to have said that five nurses resign daily from the hospital for greener pastures. What is LASUTH doing to stem the tide? The challenge we have is an exodus of health workers travelling abroad because governments of the developed world have decided to focus on Africa to source manpower- doctors and nurses to fill their own missing gaps, especially in Britain and Canada, among others. This is because people are no longer studying medicine there, and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected a lot of manpower in those countries. So, they look for manpower to fill the gaps in their health system and they recognise the f