At least 11,000 nurses have left Nigeria to foreign countries for greener pasture, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has revealed.
This was disclosed by the president of NANNM, Mr Michael Nnachi on Saturday in a press conference in Abuja as part of activities to mark this year’s International Nurses Week.
He said over 11, 000 nurses migrated from Nigeria to developed countries between 2019 and 2022.
Nnachi said the brain drain was as a result of the “terrible working conditions and tremendous suffering” of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also said over 5,000 nurses and midwives worldwide lost their lives during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
The nurses chief said there was the need to invest in nursing workforce and consider special salary package for nurses to address brain drain.
