Some Nigerian medical students are already preparing to leave the country before completing their training, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has warned, raising fresh concerns about the future of Nigeria’s healthcare workforce.
The Nigerian Medical Association says the country’s medical brain drain has reached a stage where some students are no longer waiting until graduation before making plans to seek opportunities abroad.
According to NMA President, Professor Afekhide Ernest Omoti, some medical students are already preparing for foreign professional qualifying examinations while still in medical school or during their internship.
The aim, he said, is to make it easier for them to relocate shortly after completing their training and obtaining professional registration in Nigeria.
Omoti made the disclosure in Abuja after the NMA’s National Executive Council meeting held from August 24 to 28, 2026.
He said the development reflects how deeply concerns about working conditions, career prospects and the future of healthcare professionals have entered the minds of young Nigerians studying medicine.
“The Nigerian medical student, even before he graduates, is already planning how to leave the country because he’s seen what is ahead of him,” Omoti said.
Why young doctors are already looking beyond Nigeria
The NMA president said doctors are not necessarily leaving because they do not want to contribute to Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Rather, many are struggling to see enough reasons to remain when better opportunities appear to be available elsewhere.
“Every doctor wants to remain in this country,” Omoti said, explaining that many healthcare professionals would prefer to build their careers in Nigeria but feel unable to continue under the existing conditions.
The warning is backed by research showing that the desire to pursue specialist medical training outside Nigeria is already common among students.
A 2025 study involving 2,152 medical and nursing students from six Nigerian universities found that 72.9% of students who planned to specialise intended to do their specialist training abroad.
The researchers also found that the decision to leave often begins surprisingly early.
Almost half of the students who preferred overseas training said they had made the decision before entering their programmes. Others reached the decision during their preclinical or clinical years.
For many students, therefore, “japa” is not a last-minute decision made after graduation. It can become part of the career plan while they are still learning how to become doctors.
UK, US and Canada remain major attractions
The study found that the United States, United Kingdom and Canada were among the most preferred destinations for students seeking specialist training abroad.
The United States accounted for 28.5% of preferences, followed by the United Kingdom at 24.6% and Canada at 23.1%.
More concerning for Nigeria, 32.7% of students intending to specialise abroad said they had no intention of returning to the country.
That means Nigeria is potentially losing medical professionals at two different stages: some trained doctors are leaving after qualification, while some students are already planning an international career before they have even completed their training.
It is not only about salary
Better pay is certainly part of the attraction, but the research suggests that money is not the only reason Nigerian medical students are looking abroad.
Among students who preferred overseas specialist training, 75.2% cited better training and expertise as a reason.
Another 61.1% pointed to access to better equipment, while 56.7% cited better career opportunities.
Quality of life was mentioned by 53.2%, while 42.6% identified improved remuneration as a reason.
The figures paint a bigger picture of what young healthcare professionals are looking for.
For a medical student who spends years studying and undergoing clinical training, the question is not simply how much they will earn after graduation. They also want to know whether they will have access to modern equipment, quality specialist training, professional growth and a safe environment in which to work.
NMA wants government to make staying worthwhile
The NMA says reversing the trend will require more than appeals to doctors to remain in Nigeria.
Following its latest NEC meeting, the association called for the conclusion and implementation of the outstanding Collective Bargaining Agreement with health workers.
It also demanded the universal application of doctors’ salaries and income across federal, state, university and local government institutions, alongside tax relief for healthcare professionals.
The association further called for the implementation of a 65-year retirement age for clinical health workers.
According to the NMA, keeping experienced doctors in the system for longer could help reduce the pressure created by the loss of professionals through migration.
Security is becoming part of the retention problem
The association also raised concerns about the safety of doctors and healthcare facilities.
It called for stronger action against kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other forms of insecurity, warning that healthcare professionals need to feel safe if the government expects them to build their careers in Nigeria.
For the NMA, improving security is therefore part of the wider effort to retain medical workers.
Omoti said the government does not necessarily have to match the salaries doctors can earn in wealthier countries.
Instead, he argued that Nigeria needs a realistic retention package that gives doctors confidence that they can build a decent and sustainable career at home.
The concern goes beyond the doctors themselves.
Nigeria invests heavily in training medical professionals, but when those professionals leave for other countries, the country that financed much of their education loses part of that investment while the receiving country benefits from an already trained workforce.
As Omoti put it, the government and the Nigerian public ultimately bear the cost when trained doctors leave without enough incentives to stay.
The latest warning from the NMA therefore highlights a difficult reality for Nigeria: the medical brain drain may no longer begin when doctors receive their certificates. For some students, the decision to seek a future abroad is already being made while they are still wearing their medical-school uniforms.
