The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has scored Nigeria high among its top contributors and immigrants who have made healthcare service a success.

According to a ranking sheet released by the UK health body on Sunday, Nigeria ranked fifth out of 101 countries whose people make up the NHS, with 10,494 immigrants working for the system.

In June last year, the International College of Surgeons, Nigerian Section, raised the alarm over the massive exodus of Nigerian doctors to the UK for greener pastures.

It estimated the number of Nigerian doctors who left the country for the UK in the last six years to be around 6,221, adding that Nigeria now has a ratio of 1 doctor to over 4,000 patients, contrary to the World Health Organisation’s standard of 1 doctor to 600 patients. 

“One NHS, many nationalities, the NHS said in a post on X. ”Huge thanks to every single person who helps keep the NHS going.”

The UK topped the list, with over one million (1,118,116) citizens employed by the health service. 

Indians have the largest foreign staff in the NHS, with 32,117 citizens, followed by Filipinos, with 25,423 citizens gainfully employed by the UK health service.

The Irish, occupying the third place, have 14,151 nationals under the UK healthcare system, and the Polish rank fourth with 10,520 staff.

In fifth place are Nigerians, whose mass exodus and emigration have tremendously bolstered the UK health personnel, who now number about 12,494.

Other African countries also featured in the ranking, such as Zimbabwe, which has 4,780 people working for the NHS; Ghana, 3395; and Egypt, 2895. Several health crises wrack the continent’s health sector, forcing medical workers to flee abroad in droves.

One thousand five hundred fourteen health professionals from the United States work with the British NHS.

Among the countries with the least representation in the UK’s health service are  Saudi Arabia, which has only 70 citizens, and Brunei, where 72 people work as NHS health professionals.