Nigeria strikes to deploy diaspora docs nationwide
The Nigerians in Diaspora Fee (NiDCOM) has introduced plans to deploy Nigerian medical professionals within the diaspora throughout the nation in July 2026 as a part of efforts to strengthen healthcare supply.
Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this in Abuja whereas unveiling the Diaspora Well being Affect Initiative (DHII) 2026.
She described the programme as a coordinated nationwide platform aimed toward harnessing the experience, innovation and dedication of Nigerian well being professionals overseas to enhance well being outcomes.
In accordance with her, the initiative will run through the week previous Nationwide Diaspora Day, noticed yearly on July 25, and can concentrate on specialist interventions, capability constructing and long-term institutional partnerships relatively than short-term outreach missions.
Dabiri-Erewa famous that whereas diaspora remittances to Nigeria exceed $20 billion yearly, the information {and professional} expertise of Nigerian docs overseas stay an underutilised nationwide asset.
She defined that DHII 2026 will align with nationwide and state well being priorities, notably in underserved communities throughout the six geo-political zones. The programme goals to strengthen specialist service supply, enhance entry to high quality healthcare, improve medical governance, promote medical innovation and generate information to tell coverage reforms.
Implementation might be carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Well being and Social Welfare, the Federal Ministry of Schooling, the Nigerian Medical Affiliation, and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Seven diaspora medical associations from america, Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia and South Africa have been assigned to particular states for interventions between July 20 and 23, 2026. The interventions will embody superior specialist lectures, maternal and new child care, sickle cell screening, ladies’s well being companies, interventional radiology, neurosurgery and well being methods strengthening.
The initiative might be formally flagged off in Abuja in the beginning of Diaspora Week 2026 earlier than medical groups deploy to designated states in partnership with state governments and native well being establishments.
Additionally talking, President of the Medical Affiliation of Nigerians Throughout Nice Britain, Dr. Jide Menakaya, described the programme as inclusive and multidisciplinary, stressing that nurses, midwives, pharmacists and different healthcare professionals all have vital roles to play.
Dabiri-Erewa recommended Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting diaspora engagement as a part of nationwide improvement efforts and known as on extra Nigerian well being professionals overseas to take part within the initiative.