THE CONUNDRUM OF MEDICAL BRAIN-DRAIN: STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING EMPLOYEE RETENTION FOR QUALITY HEALTHCARE SERVICE DELIVERY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The exodus of skilled medical professionals poses persistent challenges that significantly constraints to quality healthcare service delivery in most developing nations such as Nigeria. Employee retention strategies will play a critical role in enhancing the quality of healthcare. Understanding the dynamic relationships between medical brain-drain, employee retention and quality healthcare will be crucial for developing effective interventions to address workforce shortages and improve healthcare outcomes. This study investigated how employee retention can reduce medical brain-drain and enhance the quality of healthcare in the selected tertiary
healthcare organisations in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study had 3 objectives and questions with 1hypothesis. The methodology in this study involved descriptive research design with a survey method. A sample of 360 healthcare workers was selected through simple random sampling procedure. The method of data collection was through questionnaire on strategies for enhancing employee retention for quality healthcare service delivery in Nigeria. to gather insights on research phenomenon. Data analysis involved descriptive techniques and inferential methods. The Pearson correlation was used to test the hypotheses and provide answers for the research
questions. The findings revealed the negative significant influence of medical brain-drain on the quality of healthcare and demonstrated how employee retention strategies can mitigate this impact. This study provided actionable strategies to mitigate brain-drain through targeted retention initiatives such as appropriate compensation, professional development opportunities and conducive working conditions, that are aimed to elevate the standard of healthcare delivery
across Nigeria.