Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Nigeria faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals yet experiences a significant annual exodus of doctors and dentists. This alarming trend threatens the country's ability to provide equitable healthcare.

Objective

This study investigated the patterns and determinants of migration among doctors and dentists who graduated from the University of Benin, Nigeria, 15 years ago.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study that tracked 274 of the 379 (72.3%) eligible cohort. We computed the migration incidence rate per person-year from 2008 to 2023, covering 3,455 person-years of follow-up and analysed migration drivers as push and pull factors across macro-, meso-, and micro-levels.

Results

Fifteen years post-graduation, 48.9% (134/274) of

SUBMITTER: Wariri O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11610232 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature