By Daniel Kudayah
Nigeria is facing a worsening shortage of medical doctors, with one doctor now attending to about 6,000 patients, the Chief Medical Director of Save a Life Mission Hospital, Port Harcourt, Dr Richard Okoye, has said.
Okoye described the situation as alarming, warning that the shortage of doctors was making access to healthcare increasingly difficult, particularly for people living in remote and underserved communities.
He spoke in Port Harcourt during the unveiling of MyHomeClinic, a digital healthcare solution designed to improve access to medical services by connecting patients with health professionals remotely.
The CMD attributed the growing health workforce gap largely to the migration of Nigerian doctors and other medical professionals to countries where they seek better working conditions and career opportunities.
According to him, the continued exodus of health professionals has placed additional pressure on the doctors who remain in the country, leaving millions of Nigerians with limited access to timely medical care.
He said MyHomeClinic was developed to bridge part of the gap by creating a link between patients and healthcare professionals, particularly those who face difficulties reaching hospitals.
Okoye explained that the platform would provide preliminary health assessments before patients receive professional medical advice and appropriate recommendations.
He added that the system could also be used to remotely monitor vital health indicators, including blood pressure and blood sugar levels, with alerts sent to healthcare professionals when readings reach potentially dangerous levels.
“The platform was put in place with the aim of improving accessibility to healthcare, especially for those who have challenges accessing hospitals,” Okoye said.
He stressed that digital health solutions could help extend the reach of the country’s overstretched healthcare workforce, particularly by enabling patients to receive initial assessments and monitoring without having to travel long distances to health facilities.
The development comes amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s health workforce crisis and the impact of the migration of doctors and other healthcare professionals on the country’s already strained health system.
