Brain Drain: Assessment of Prevalence, Pattern and Determinant Of Among Health Workers In Edo State South-South Nigeria

Introduction: The quality of performance in the health sector to a large extent depends on the availability and willingness of healthcare workers to work. The prevalence of brain drain among health workers has not been given adequate attention in Nigeria, as the migration of skilled health workers has negatively affected the quality of health care in the country. This study thus aims to assess the prevalence, pattern and factors responsible for brain drain among health workers in suburban Edo State, Nigeria to provide specific intervention to curb this monster eating at our health system. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was adopted for this study. Cluster sampling technique was used to select respondents for this study. A sample size of 320 utilized a well-structured, pretested, self-administered questionnaire for this study and analysis done using the IBM-SPSS 25.0. Result: The predominant age group of respondents was 26-35 years with 145 (48.3%) with the mean age of 33 years(SD=5.9) years. A higher proportion of the respondents were female, 170 (56.7%). Majority of the respondents, 210(70%) had good knowledge. The most identified push factor of brain drain was limited education opportunity, 295 (98.3%). The most identified pull factor was recognition of professional expertise, 295 (98.3%). There was statistically significant relationship between socioeconomic/political situations in the home country of respondents and the prevalence of brain drain among health care workers. (p=0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that a high level of brain drain among health professionals is mainly due to recognition of professional expertise and financial remunerations; there is thus the urgent need for the Government to take full responsibility to curtail the current brain drain situation in the country considering its overwhelming impact on all aspects of the health system.