Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has said Nigerians may be catered for by native doctors if the brain drain among medical doctors persists.
Due to the economic hardship and poor welfare, many health workers are leaving the country in droves.
Six months ago, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) said Nigeria has about 24, 000 actively licensed physicians caring for its over 200 million population as result of brain drain.
While speaking at the induction ceremony of medical students of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, Mimiko said the government needs to urgently find lasting solutions to the mass exodus of medical personnel.
The ex-governor, who is also a medical doctor, said the development calls for drastic measures from the government.
According to him, if doctors emigrating from the country in droves is not checked, in less than a decade Nigeria may only have native doctors to turn to for treatment.
According to him, a situation where doctors and other health workers were trained at a subsidised rate in Nigeria and later abandoned the country for developed countries calls for huge concern.
