The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has announced that the number of licensed medical and dental professionals in Nigeria rose from 64,949 in 2022 to approximately 66,241 in 2024, reflecting a 2% growth. He disclosed this on Thursday at the 2025 BusinessDay Health Conference in Abuja, themed “Transforming Nigeria’s Healthcare Landscape: Government Reforms as Catalysts for Unlocking the Full Potential of the Healthcare Value Chain.”
According to Dr. Salako, the Federal Government is strategically repositioning the health sector from a perceived cost centre into a robust investment opportunity capable of boosting national productivity, security, and economic advancement.
He highlighted that the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Initiative (NHSRII)—launched in December 2023—serves as the foundation for the government’s transformation agenda in healthcare. One of its pillars is workforce development to combat chronic shortages driven by underinvestment, poor working conditions, and migration.
“We have introduced a comprehensive Human Resources for Health Development Strategy that is pragmatic, contextual, and future-facing,” Dr. Salako stated.
Key Progress Highlights:
- Training Expansion: Since 2023, admission quotas for medical and dental schools have increased by 38% and 62%, respectively, while the number of schools has grown by 32% and 27%. Twenty more are in the accreditation pipeline.
- New Graduates: In 2024, Nigeria recorded 4,399 new medical doctors and 274 dentists.
- Employment Boost: About 15,000 health professionals of various cadres were hired in 2024 alone.
- Nursing Schools: 19 new schools of nursing have been established nationwide.
To further enhance service delivery and retain talent, Dr. Salako revealed that the government is:
- Increasing internship and residency slots.
- Offering performance-based incentives in underserved areas.
- Reforming remuneration to attract and retain professionals.
- Implementing a Health Workers Migration Policy to monitor diaspora movement and promote organised contributions from Nigerian health professionals abroad.
He also announced the finalization of a National Health Workforce Registry and the launch of digital tools to track healthcare personnel in real-time.
Tackling Energy Deficit in Health Facilities
Recognizing unreliable power supply as a major obstacle to effective healthcare delivery, Dr. Salako introduced the “Energy for Health Initiative”. The programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of Power, Rural Electrification Agency, World Bank, and Gavi, is already providing solar and hybrid energy solutions to tertiary hospitals and selected Primary Health Centres.
Hospitals like the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre, Keffi have already benefited, now running critical care units without power outages.
To scale this energy transition, the ministry has also launched the “Power in the Health Sector” initiative to attract further investment and streamline energy deployment through a unified policy framework.
Dr. Salako concluded by affirming the government’s commitment to building a modern, resilient health workforce and infrastructure capable of meeting both current and future challenges.
