Stakeholders in Nigeria’s healthcare sector have urged health professionals planning to relocate abroad to reconsider their decisions and explore opportunities in healthcare entrepreneurship, investment, innovation and service delivery at home, warning that migration does not automatically guarantee career success.

While Nigeria’s healthcare system faces significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, poor financing and unfavourable working conditions, stakeholders said the sector also offers opportunities for professionals willing to collaborate, develop sustainable business models and improve access to quality care.

This was part of the deliberations at the Business of Health Conference convened by the founder of Luxe Dental Clinic, Lagos, Dr. Funmi Adeniyi themed ‘Reversing Medical Tourism: Building the Infrastructure that Brings the World to Nigeria for Care.’

The conference brought together healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and innovators to examine ways of developing globally competitive healthcare businesses, institutions and infrastructure in Nigeria.

The stakeholders also called for increased investment, improved healthcare financing and stronger institutions to make Nigeria a destination for quality medical services rather than a country whose citizens routinely travel abroad for treatment.

The call comes amid the continued exodus of health professionals from the country. According to the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025, Nigeria recorded the departure of 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, 6,861 medical laboratory professionals, 702 pharmacists and 658 physiotherapists, alongside hundreds of other specialists.

The conference, however, cautioned that relocating to countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada does not automatically translate into professional fulfilment, urging health workers to consider the opportunities available in Nigeria and their potential contributions to strengthening the sector.

In her opening address, Adeniyi, who is also the Executive Director of the Smile Doctor Foundation, said the country needed healthcare professionals willing to invest, innovate, collaborate and build sustainable institutions.

She urged practitioners to acquire business knowledge and develop viable models for delivering quality and affordable care, arguing that Nigeria’s healthcare challenges could also create opportunities for those prepared to address them.

Adeniyi expressed optimism that increased investment, affordable service models, professional collaboration and improved business knowledge could unlock the sector’s potential, create opportunities for young professionals and reduce the factors driving medical migration and treatment abroad.

“There’s also a lot of opportunity in Nigeria. We know that we have problems, but those problems are opportunities in disguise,” she said.

She added that she wanted to see a country where medical practitioners, despite undergoing rigorous training, were adequately remunerated and could take pride in practising in their homeland.

Adeniyi also identified the shortage of experienced personnel as a major challenge in building sustainable healthcare institutions. She said that while trying to expand her dental practice, she found that many competent professionals stayed for only two to six months before relocating abroad.

She, however, urged young doctors to consider working together to develop affordable healthcare solutions, particularly for people who rely on informal providers because of the cost of formal medical services.

Drawing a comparison with the telecommunications sector, where innovation helped make services accessible to more people, Adeniyi said healthcare entrepreneurs could similarly develop affordable models that respond to the needs of underserved populations.

“There is a large market for people going to the informal sector in search of care. If we package affordable solutions, people will pay for them,” she said.

Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, described Nigeria as a challenging environment but one with considerable opportunities for those willing to address its problems.

Ogunsola also urged young Nigerians considering migration to weigh the emotional demands of living abroad and the racial realities they might encounter.

She described what she called the “black dot syndrome” in which people concentrate on problems while overlooking the broader opportunities available, adding that “money chases value.”

Beyond encouraging professionals to remain in Nigeria, Ogunsola called for greater standardisation and accountability in healthcare facilities. She said poor customer relations could discourage patients from using formal healthcare services and stressed the need for hospitals to adopt enforceable standard operating procedures.