The Federal Government has pledged to remove longstanding barriers preventing Nigerian health professionals abroad from contributing to the country’s healthcare system, as it promised to simplify licensing procedures, facilitate temporary practice arrangements and expand investment opportunities for diaspora experts.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, made the commitment on Saturday at the 2026 National Diaspora Merit Award and Closing Ceremony of the Nigeria Diaspora Health Impact Initiative (NDHII) held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

Salako said the success of this year’s initiative demonstrated that Nigeria’s diaspora should no longer be viewed through the lens of “brain drain” but as a strategic partner in rebuilding the nation’s health sector.

He disclosed that over the past several weeks, Nigerian doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, laboratory scientists and other healthcare professionals from across Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, South Africa and the United States returned home to provide specialist medical services, conduct surgeries, train health workers and mentor local professionals across the six geopolitical zones.

“You did not merely come home to attend a programme; you consulted, treated, operated, trained, mentored, and gave freely of skills built over years abroad. That is patriotism made visible, and on behalf of the Federal Government, I say thank you,” the minister said.

According to him, diaspora medical teams worked in teaching and general hospitals across Lagos, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Nasarawa, Gombe and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said UK-based specialists trained more than 1,000 frontline healthcare workers in Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto under the Safer Births Bundle of Care programme, while members of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas conducted about 4,000 medical consultations, performed over 500 surgeries and trained 350 health workers alongside 150 community responders in Enugu, Imo and Abia States.

Salako added that the Nigerian Australian Medical Doctors Association organised specialist training on ultrasound diagnosis of endometriosis in Benin City, while members of the Nigerian Doctors Forum South Africa carried out more than 70 advanced procedures in interventional radiology, neurosurgery and endoscopy in Lagos hospitals while transferring the skills to local practitioners.

He also said the Concerned Medics Foundation screened thousands of secondary school students for sickle cell disease in Borno and Gombe States, while the Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists and the Nigerian Medical Association Germany supported telemedicine, family medicine and point-of-care diagnostic services across the FCT and Nasarawa State.

“Across all six geopolitical zones, in a single season, our diaspora healthcare family have touched close to ten thousand Nigerian lives directly and trained more than two thousand frontline health workers, multiplying that impact for years to come,” he said.

The minister assured diaspora professionals that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would continue working to simplify professional licensing and locum arrangements, facilitate customs and visa waivers for medical missions and encourage investments in hospitals, diagnostic centres and pharmaceutical industries.

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“Let me reaffirm our commitment to continue to work with you, ease the path home: simplifying licensing and locum arrangements for diaspora clinicians, securing the customs and visa waivers your missions need, and expanding opportunities for you to invest in building hospitals, diagnostic centres, pharmaceutical industries and other healthcare investments on Nigerian soil,” he said.

Salako argued that the migration of Nigerian health workers resulted from years of inadequate investment, poor remuneration and unfavourable working conditions rather than an unavoidable “brain drain.”

“For too long, we have spoken of ‘brain drain’ as though it were a natural disaster. The reality is more complex. This administration is committed to rebuilding our health system from its foundations to save our country an estimated ₦4.8 trillion a year currently lost to preventable disease and medical tourism,” he said.

He said the Federal Government had introduced a Diaspora Health Registry and data mapping exercise, alongside the Nigerians in Diaspora Advance Health Programme (NiDAH-P) portal, to match diaspora expertise with healthcare needs across the country.

The minister urged Nigerian health professionals abroad to register on the platform and remain actively engaged beyond periodic medical missions.

“There are many areas where we see room for deeper collaboration. Through telemedicine and digital health, our diaspora specialists can extend consultation and mentorship to Nigerian facilities year-round. Through structured training partnerships, joint clinical research, technology transfer and public-private partnerships, we can modernise our health infrastructure and strengthen our health system,” he said.

Salako commended the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), led by its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, for driving the initiative, while thanking President Bola Tinubu for supporting the programme.

He also praised the governments of Edo, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Nasarawa and Gombe States for partnering with the Federal Government to host the diaspora medical teams.

Describing the programme as the beginning of a sustained partnership rather than a one-off event, the minister urged diaspora professionals to continue contributing their expertise to Nigeria’s healthcare development.

“Nigeria’s health system will ultimately be built by Nigerians, wherever in the world they reside. Let this evening not be a farewell, but a renewal of that partnership to secure the health, wellbeing and prosperity of every Nigerian,” he said.