…Violence against doctors worsening Nigeria’s brain drain crisis
By Kingsley Samuel
Ogun State requires at least 5,000 doctors to adequately cater for the healthcare needs of its estimated nine million residents, the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Ogun State chapter, has said, warning that persistent attacks, harassment and intimidation of medical practitioners are worsening the country’s brain drain crisis and making the shortage even more severe.
The association said the state currently has only about 1,200 doctors in federal and state public health institutions, leaving one physician to serve about 7,500 residents, a ratio it described as grossly inadequate.
Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta on Thursday ahead of the association’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Ogun State NMA Chairman, Dr. Ogunjimi Luqman Opeoluwa, said violence against doctors has become a major factor pushing medical professionals out of the country, thereby threatening healthcare delivery.
He explained that the theme of this year’s AGM, “Protecting the Doctor, Caring for the Caregiver,” was chosen in response to the growing wave of physical assaults, harassment and intimidation of doctors across Ogun State and Nigeria.
