September, this year, more and more people are leaving Nigeria (Japa) for other countries because they want a better life. Several people have left even before now and this population consists of several workers which include medical doctors. Considering the condition of the country, the excuse put up by these people may be tenable. However, while we have medical doctors here in Nigeria, we also have a handful of them in different countries across the globe who are Nigerians too. Traveling out of the country to pursue a career is a different experience for everyone. So, we can say that medical doctors abroad may not have the same experience but it is still quite different from working as a doctor back home in Nigeria.
Medical Doctors in Nigeria
Medical doctors in Nigeria are medical practitioners who have deemed it fit to stay back in their home country to use their skills for the betterment of the health sector. While some of them have a choice to leave so that they can practice fully outside Nigeria and get even better remuneration, they have chosen to stay back. Sometimes, citizens of Nigeria who have been a beneficiary of the impressive skills of these medical doctors have openly praised them for their good works.
Some of these Nigerian medical doctors are found in government hospitals and private hospitals dedicating their time, skills, and resources day in, and day out.
Medical Doctors Abroad
For valid reasons, as we explained earlier in this article, Nigerian doctors move to countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, and many other countries. The gist is that Nigerian doctors are usually most sought after abroad and this has something to do with how resilient and skilled a great number of them are.
Working as a Medical Doctor at Home or Abroad?
The work of a medical doctor already comes off as a time-consuming job. It’s hard to find a medical doctor with nothing to do. However, while the nature of the job may be the same for both parties – Medical doctors abroad and Medical Doctors in Nigeria, the experience will never be the same. In a video that went viral earlier this week, a Medical doctor who has had the opportunity to practice both in Nigeria and abroad shared crucial points that differentiate and highlight the circumstances of both situations using the following factors:
Work-Life Balance
According to this doctor, who doubles as a medical doctor and research student in Canada, practicing as a medical doctor in Canada makes you feel like you are working for the sole purpose of earning money because you don’t even get to enjoy what you are doing. But, back at home in Nigeria, you are working to earn your money and you are also enjoying your work in the process. He further explained that Canada does not program you to enjoy your work but to just get the work done as long as you are being paid. On the flip side, you are more relaxed in Nigeria, there is no pressure and you also earn your salary; he specifically stressed that this option is really huge. While this may not exactly be the case in other countries that are not Canada, it still gives a hint of what the situation may be over there too. A healthy work-life balance may be more achievable in Nigeria than abroad.
Sense of Belonging
Maybe home is really where the love is. The Canadian doctor who was interviewed mentioned that he faced discrimination almost everywhere he worked and even as a supervisor, his co-supervisors segregated themselves from him because they could not imagine that a black man would come around and be a supervisor. Apart from Canada, many other medical doctors have faced this same situation in other countries where they find themselves. For medical doctors in Nigeria, reverse is the case because everyone is black and they understand themselves properly. Also, on several occasions, you will find Nigerian doctors praising and supporting each other for any type of milestone reached. While medical doctors working abroad may not get this type of healthy treatment from their colleagues, it is one that doctors working in Nigeria enjoy effortlessly.
Salaries
The Canadian doctor thinks that salary in Nigeria is better because medical doctors earn well, the cost of living is bearable, payment of house rent Is yearly, electricity bills are not outrageous and they are even able to save some money. Doctors working in Canada also earn well but having to pay for rent monthly and sorting out utility bills that are on the high side can cause a big chop on the salaries and may sometimes not even cover all of their expenses.
Also, according to Glassdoor, here are the average salaries of medical doctors in some common countries that Nigerian medical doctors move to:
- United Kingdom – £64,487/year
- United States – $238,846/year
- Canada – CA$156,525/year
- South Africa – $57896/year
- Ghana – $6150/year
- Germany – €68,350/year
- France – $50,264/year
- Netherlands – €88,032/year
- Dubai – AED739,200/year
However, in Nigeria, Medical doctors in Nigeria are paid an average salary of $214,000 yearly.
At the end of the interview, the Nigerian medical doctor advised other doctors who are currently looking to come to work in Canada. He said “There is no need to come to Canada if you are stable back home. Several people may not tell you but you may not get that experience that you have envisaged. You may have it differently.”
Although a few months ago, the Nigerian House of Reps complained of brain drain and suggested that Nigerian-trained medical doctors stay back in Nigeria for at least 5 years before moving abroad, more and more doctors are still seeking ways to leave.
Comparing working in Nigeria and working abroad as a medical doctor will always draw different opinions from people. Some may say that it’s a good move to practice abroad and others may think it’s not so bad to stay back in Nigeria. Whichever way, people will always go for whatever seems to be a good idea to them.
