“What Are You Really Doing in This Country?”: Emigration Intentions of Nigerian Doctors and Their Policy Implications for Human Resource for Health Management

The emigration of doctors from Nigeria has been on the increase in recent years, with no obvious efforts to manage or mitigate the negative impacts of this growing trend on the already weak health system. This study assessed the emigration intentions of doctors undergoing residency training at the premier tertiary healthcare center in Nigeria and the factors that influence these intentions. This mixed-method study was cross-sectional in design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to identify the factors that influence the emigration intentions of resident doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were also conducted to further explore the push and pull factors identified from the survey and their migration preferences. A total of 244 resident doctors completed the questionnaires and 10 participated in the IDIs. Overall, 57.4% of the respondents had emigration intentions and 34.8% had made various attempts at emigrating. Major factors that encouraged resident doctors to emigrate to developed countries included better working and living conditions, good salary and the opportunity for career advancement in destination countries. Family ties was the single most important factor that deterred resident doctors from emigrating. The UK was found to be the top preferred destination. Strategic approaches and multisectoral collaborations will be required to address doctors’ emigration from Nigeria. These efforts should be targeted at not just the health sector but should also include the social and economic aspects of the lives of resident doctors, to improve their living conditions.