By Victoria Prince

The Association of Nigerian Doctors in Ireland was set up last year in an attempt to connect all practicing Nigerian doctors who are currently living across the country. 

“We knew there were several of us in the country but until now we had no formal association under which we could rally ourselves,” says its president Dr Tochukwu E Anyansi.

Networking is the primary goal for the professional organisation that aims to represent Nigerian doctors living and working nationwide. By networking and meeting, Dr Anyansi believes they can determine and discuss their common interests – and see how they can help the healthcare service in Nigeria, too. 

“We knew that there remains a greater need for medical doctors back home in Nigeria but for most of us, Ireland has become our new home and it was becoming more difficult to think about returning to Nigeria,” says Dr Anyansi. “We felt that if we could organise ourselves while in Ireland, we could help find a solution to the problems in the healthcare system in Nigeria.”

As many as 120 Nigerian doctors are currently a part of the association, though this is a fraction of the near 400 registered to practice. Dr Anyansi explains the disparity comes from some doctors moving away to other countries despite still being registered here. But any connections made through the group are beneficial.

That’s even more so because Nigerian doctors are not only incredibly busy people, but also not particularly social, says Dr Anyansi, who adds that attempting to arrange meetings proved difficult at first.

However, following a well-attended inaugural dinner on 6 June, Dr Anyansi is confident that the association will grow – and achieve its aims of expanding its work out towards Nigeria.

“In the future we may arrange lectures, courses, symposia and workshops, to help improve healthcare delivery in Nigeria as we are a charitable organisation,” he says. “We believe that we can help channel growth and development in the Nigerian health sector through continued medical education for Nigerian health professionals and providing innovative technologies that will make it easier for Nigerian patients to access quality healthcare.”

Until then, Anyansi hopes to grow the association by continuing to network with more Nigerian doctors across the country, encouraging them to integrate with their local communities while also making space to celebrate Nigerian culture.