Northern Nigeria is grappling with a severe shortage of doctors and essential healthcare professionals, a crisis worsened by persistent insecurity that continues to drive medical personnel out of the region.
Public health experts warn that the escalating exodus is eroding already fragile health systems in the North, which is burdened with some of the highest disease and mortality rates in the country. They caution that without urgent intervention, health outcomes may deteriorate further.
According to the Joint Annual Review Health Sector Statistical Book 2025, the northern region has some of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios nationwide. States such as Yobe, Kebbi, Zamfara and Jigawa record as little as 0.5 doctors per 10,000 residents—equivalent to one doctor for every 20,000 people. Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Katsina fare marginally better at 0.7 per 10,000, while Kaduna State tops the North with 1.8 per 10,000.
By contrast, most southern states exceed 3 doctors per 10,000 people, with Lagos, Enugu and Edo surpassing 5 per 10,000.
This falls far short of the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people, a threshold no state in Nigeria currently meets.
Beyond doctors, northern states also face acute shortages of specialists. Dentistry, optometry, radiography and medical laboratory services remain critically under-staffed, leaving millions without access to timely diagnosis or preventive care.
Taraba, Jigawa, Zamfara and Katsina post some of the lowest dentist densities (0.1–0.3 per 10,000), while southern states such as Edo, Lagos, Enugu and Osun record figures up to 15 times higher. Optometrist availability is even worse: Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina average 0.05 per 10,000, compared with more than 5 per 10,000 in Imo and Lagos.
Radiographers are virtually absent in several northern states—Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina report zero radiographers per 10,000 people—while medical laboratory scientists remain concentrated in the south, where densities exceed 10 per 10,000 in states like Enugu, Ebonyi and Edo.
Overall, Nigeria’s 220-million population is served by 60,551 licensed doctors, 7,008 medical laboratory scientists, 2,156 optometrists, 3,559 dentists, and 2,810 radiographers, with the bulk residing in southern states.
Insecurity Driving Mass Exodus
Doctors’ associations and health experts identify insecurity as the primary driver of the growing professional vacuum.
Dr. Zenith Osundare, immediate past president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), said many northern states are willing to hire and offer competitive salaries but struggle to attract talent due to safety concerns.
“Many northern states like Katsina are ready to employ doctors and pay well, but they can’t secure doctors,” he said. “No doctor wants to go there because one is first looking out for his life before anything else.”
Another resident doctor in Abuja said insecurity was the major reason he rejected postings in the North, noting that southern states also offer better equipment, infrastructure and living conditions.
Existing research supports these fears. A 2024 retrospective cohort study published in the National Library of Medicine identified insecurity as the top push factor for migration among Nigerian doctors, cited by 57.8% of respondents. A 2022 nationwide survey of 913 physicians reported similar findings, with 79.8% linking rising insecurity to decisions to emigrate.
Experts Warn of Worsening Health Outcomes
Public health expert, Adaobi Onyechi, warned that the growing insecurity-induced manpower crisis could intensify maternal and infant mortality, slow detection of infectious diseases, and increase untreated chronic cases across northern states.
She noted that the shortage places enormous strain on the few remaining health workers and urged urgent reforms.
“We need targeted retention incentives, improved rural posting policies, and, above all, enhanced security. Without this, equitable healthcare delivery across Nigeria will remain impossible,” she said.
