Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists
Background Nigeria faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals yet experiences a significant annual exodus of doctors and dentists. This alarming trend threatens the country’s ability to provide equitable healthcare. Objective This study investigated the patterns and determinants of migrat...
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| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Global Health Action |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2432754 |
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| author | Oghenebrume Wariri Patience Toyin-Thomas Itua C.G. Akhirevbulu Oladapo Oladeinde Oluchi Omogbai Philippa Odika John Osakue Avwebo Ukueku Efetobo Orikpete Chinelo Iwegim Efe E. Omoyibo Jermaine Okpere Uwaila Otakhoigbogie Ekhosuehi T. Agho Sunday C. Madubueze Nnennaya C. Ugoji Chukwunwike W. Ozegbe Oti N. Aria Paul Ikhurionan |
| author_facet | Oghenebrume Wariri Patience Toyin-Thomas Itua C.G. Akhirevbulu Oladapo Oladeinde Oluchi Omogbai Philippa Odika John Osakue Avwebo Ukueku Efetobo Orikpete Chinelo Iwegim Efe E. Omoyibo Jermaine Okpere Uwaila Otakhoigbogie Ekhosuehi T. Agho Sunday C. Madubueze Nnennaya C. Ugoji Chukwunwike W. Ozegbe Oti N. Aria Paul Ikhurionan |
| author_sort | Oghenebrume Wariri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Nigeria faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals yet experiences a significant annual exodus of doctors and dentists. This alarming trend threatens the country’s ability to provide equitable healthcare. Objective This study investigated the patterns and determinants of migration among doctors and dentists who graduated from the University of Benin, Nigeria, 15 years ago. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study that tracked 274 of the 379 (72.3%) eligible cohort. We computed the migration incidence rate per person-year from 2008 to 2023, covering 3,455 person-years of follow-up and analysed migration drivers as push and pull factors across macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. Results Fifteen years post-graduation, 48.9% (134/274) of the cohort had migrated. While the annual incidence rate of migration remained stable for the first 8 years, it spiked after 2016, reaching 11.4 per 100 person-years in 2023. Among those who migrated, the majority (96.3%, 129/134) relocated outside the African continent. The top three destination countries were the UK (48.5%, 65/134), Canada (20.9%, 28/134), and the USA (19.4%, 26/134). The leading push factors were insecurity of lives and property (57.8%), concerns about children’s futures (50.3%), and limited career development opportunities (45.9%). The primary pull factors included security (56.3%), permanent residency (49.6%), and better pay in the destination country (46.7%). Significant predictors of migration included younger age, timing of marriage, and residency training status. Conclusions To avert an impending crisis, the Nigerian government must address the root causes driving the increasing migration of doctors and dentists. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3743a43e1bd04d088f0d9b909c86b75a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj-art-3743a43e1bd04d088f0d9b909c86b75a2025-02-05T12:46:14ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802024-12-0117110.1080/16549716.2024.24327542432754Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentistsOghenebrume Wariri0Patience Toyin-Thomas1Itua C.G. Akhirevbulu2Oladapo Oladeinde3Oluchi Omogbai4Philippa Odika5John Osakue6Avwebo Ukueku7Efetobo Orikpete8Chinelo Iwegim9Efe E. Omoyibo10Jermaine Okpere11Uwaila Otakhoigbogie12Ekhosuehi T. Agho13Sunday C. Madubueze14Nnennaya C. Ugoji15Chukwunwike W. Ozegbe16Oti N. Aria17Paul Ikhurionan18Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UKDartmouth CollegeEdo Specialist HospitalDepartment of Family Medicine, Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, Medicine Hat, Alberta, CanadaIndependent ResearcherUniversity of NorthamptonHull University Teaching Hospital NHS TrustUniversity of Port Harcourt Teaching HospitalFaculty of Dentistry University of Port HarcourtUniversity of TorontoFederal Medical CentreAlberta Health ServicesItuku/Ozalla Campus, University of NigeriaNational Hospital AbujaDalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH)School of PaediatricsDepartment, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Model Hospital, Akwanga, NigeriaRivers State University Teaching HospitalUniversity of Benin Teaching HospitalBackground Nigeria faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals yet experiences a significant annual exodus of doctors and dentists. This alarming trend threatens the country’s ability to provide equitable healthcare. Objective This study investigated the patterns and determinants of migration among doctors and dentists who graduated from the University of Benin, Nigeria, 15 years ago. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study that tracked 274 of the 379 (72.3%) eligible cohort. We computed the migration incidence rate per person-year from 2008 to 2023, covering 3,455 person-years of follow-up and analysed migration drivers as push and pull factors across macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. Results Fifteen years post-graduation, 48.9% (134/274) of the cohort had migrated. While the annual incidence rate of migration remained stable for the first 8 years, it spiked after 2016, reaching 11.4 per 100 person-years in 2023. Among those who migrated, the majority (96.3%, 129/134) relocated outside the African continent. The top three destination countries were the UK (48.5%, 65/134), Canada (20.9%, 28/134), and the USA (19.4%, 26/134). The leading push factors were insecurity of lives and property (57.8%), concerns about children’s futures (50.3%), and limited career development opportunities (45.9%). The primary pull factors included security (56.3%), permanent residency (49.6%), and better pay in the destination country (46.7%). Significant predictors of migration included younger age, timing of marriage, and residency training status. Conclusions To avert an impending crisis, the Nigerian government must address the root causes driving the increasing migration of doctors and dentists.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2432754migrationhuman resource for healthdoctornigeriaretrospective cohort |
| spellingShingle | Oghenebrume Wariri Patience Toyin-Thomas Itua C.G. Akhirevbulu Oladapo Oladeinde Oluchi Omogbai Philippa Odika John Osakue Avwebo Ukueku Efetobo Orikpete Chinelo Iwegim Efe E. Omoyibo Jermaine Okpere Uwaila Otakhoigbogie Ekhosuehi T. Agho Sunday C. Madubueze Nnennaya C. Ugoji Chukwunwike W. Ozegbe Oti N. Aria Paul Ikhurionan Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists Global Health Action migration human resource for health doctor nigeria retrospective cohort |
| title | Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists |
| title_full | Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists |
| title_short | Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists |
| title_sort | understanding the exodus a 15 year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among nigerian doctors and dentists |
| topic | migration human resource for health doctor nigeria retrospective cohort |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2432754 |
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