Thousands of doctors are reportedly leaving the central African country of Cameroon in search of better-paying jobs in Europe and North America, officials at the ministry of health has said.

Officials have stated that the number of people, including doctors, who are obtaining passports and applying for visas has increased by 70 per cent, Voice of America reported Wednesday.

Additionally, it was reported that 75 per cent of the 1,000 doctors trained by Cameroon’s government each year are leaving the country. These statistics highlight the ongoing issue of brain drain in Cameroon’s healthcare system.

According to the report, many doctors in Cameroon are leaving the country to emigrate to Canada, which is perceived as a lucrative opportunity. In addition, an increasing number of health workers, including doctors, are applying for the U.S. government’s Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, also known as the Green Card Lottery.

Data from the Cameroon Medical Council, an association of doctors, have revealed that the doctor-patient ratio in the country is currently one doctor per 50,000 people, which is far below the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of one doctor per 10,000 patients.

The council further attributed the menace to the fact that many doctors are fleeing the country to escape hardship, poor pay, difficult working conditions, and unemployment.

Peter Louis Ndifor, the council’s vice president, expressed regret that Cameroon trains thousands of doctors but does not employ them, which has led to a massive brain drain in the healthcare sector.