British grants license 805 Nigerian doctors in six months, total now 9,189

Analysis of data obtained from the General Medical Council of Britain has revealed that 805 Nigeria-trained doctors were licensed between July and December 25, 2021, Top Naija reports.

Also, the number of Nigerian-trained doctors in the United Kingdom increased to 9,189.

The figure is aside from the number of Nigerian doctors trained and practising in the UK.

The GMB is the regulatory body responsible for licensing doctors for practice in the UK.

In June, 8,384 Nigerian doctors had been licensed while the number of Nigeria-trained specialists and consultants who migrate have continued to increase over the years.

In September, it was reported that Saudi Arabia organised a recruitment interview for consultants and specialists in Abuja.

According to the data made available by the council, 233 Nigerian doctors passed the examination to practise in the UK in 2015.

In 2018, the figure rose to 852 and further increased to 1,347 in 2019.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, during his budget defence had proposed a bond of nine years for health workers in a bid to curb brain drain.

According to the data, 1,968 of the doctors were currently undergoing training, 1,560 were general practitioners, 1,231 were specialists and a total of 4,652 were associate specialists.

Another statistic seen by TopNaija also showed that between July 24, 2020 and September 21, 2021, about 862 Nigeria trained doctors were licensed in the UK despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 9,189 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria currently practise in the UK.