Over 2,000 doctors had left Nigeria for Europe, Saudi Arabia and Canada as of June this year, the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), has said.
The president of the association, Dr Noel Dokun, made this known in Abuja on Tuesday during the National Executive Council meeting of the association.
He said the doctors left for countries where their services were better appreciated, especially Britain.
“But in Nigeria, they are poorly remunerated and at times not paid for months in some states , with salaries up to 25 months unpaid in some instances,” he said.
He emphasized the need for the federal government to adopt homegrown solutions to brain drain, monkeypox and other epidemics as well as other challenges bedeviling the health sector.
Dr Stephanie Oni-Ogunbor, the keynote speaker at the event, noted that the impact of monkeypox on the economy was enormous, saying increased sensitization about the disease amongst the populace would help to prevent the disease.