PREVALENCE, ASSOCIATED FACTORS AND POLICIES ON MEDICAL BRAIN DRAIN AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN GENERAL HOSPITALS, LAGOS STATE

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate the prevalence, associated factors and policies on medical brain drain among healthcare professionals in Generals Hospital, Lagos State. Three research questions and hypotheses were postulated. The study adopted descriptive survey research and the sample for the study consisted of healthcare professionals working in General Hospitals, Lagos State using the purposively sampling technique. A self-developed instrument titled “Medical Brain Drain and Healthcare Questionnaire (MBDHQ)” and designed in line with a four-point scale for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in the Department of Human Kinetics, Sports, and Health Education and Department of Community Health College of Medicine Lagos State University for the face and content validity of the instrument. The reliability of the instrument was ensured using test-retest method and reliability coefficient of 0.76 was recorded and considered appropriate. A total of 150 copies of the valid questionnaire were administered to the respondents same copies were collected on the spot which ensured high percentage return. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentage for demographic data while inferential statistics of Chi-square was used to analyze all stated hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level significance. Findings from the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between the prevalence of medical brain drain among healthcare professionals in General Hospitals, Lagos State; there was a significant relationship between demographic characteristics (age, gender, and marital status) of medical brain drain among healthcare professionals in General Hospitals Lagos State; and existed policies and initiatives aimed at addressing medical brain drain in General Hospitals in Lagos State are ineffective in reducing the prevalence of medical brain drain. It’s also recommended that the government should improve compensation and benefits: one of the most significant factors driving healthcare professionals to seek employment abroad is inadequate compensation. To retain skilled workers, it is essential to offer competitive salaries that reflect the demands of the profession and the rising cost of living in Nigeria.