Addressing Health Workforce Emigration and Leveraging Global Migration to Strengthen the Healthcare System in Nigeria
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IntroductionHealth workers’ migration contributes to disrupting health systems. There is limited evidence about the best ways to manage the health workforce emigration. The study examined strategies for addressing the negative effects of health workforce emigration, retaining skilled health workers, and leveraging global migration to strengthen Nigerian health systems, from stakeholders’ perspectives.MethodsThe study employed an exploratory qualitative design using in-depth interviews of stakeholders from health regulatory agencies and professional associations. We purposely sampled the major categories of health workers affected by migration: nurses, pharmacists, optometrists, radiographers, medical laboratory scientists, and medical doctors. Data collected were transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research Checklist guided the presentation of the findings.ResultsThematic analysis revealed four main themes and fifteen subthemes. The key strategies for addressing the challenges and adverse effects of health worker emigration were increasing funding for health professionals’ education and training, optimizing workforce distribution and efficiency, establishing retention mechanisms, and strategic engagement of emigrated health professionals. Subthemes included expanding undergraduate admissions, developing innovative training and practice models, strengthening partnerships between educational institutions and healthcare systems, increasing recruitment and ensuring immediate replacement of departed healthcare providers, developing policies to encourage service in underserved areas, and instituting realistic task-shifting and task-sharing models.ConclusionThe study has identified key strategies for retaining the health workforce, optimizing the benefits and mitigating the consequences of international health worker migration. Urgent steps are needed by Nigerian government and professional associations to implement these strategies and strengthen the health system.
