The figure is aside from the number of Nigerian doctors trained and practising in the UK.

The GMB is the regulatory body responsible for licensing doctors for practice in the UK.

In June, 8,384 Nigerian doctors had been licensed while the number of Nigeria-trained specialists and consultants who migrate have continued to increase over the years.

In September, it was reported that Saudi Arabia organised a recruitment interview for consultants and specialists in Abuja.

According to the data made available by the council, 233 Nigerian doctors passed the examination to practise in the UK in 2015.

The number increased to 279 in 2016 while the figure was 475 in 2017.

In 2018, the figure rose to 852 and further increased to 1,347 in 2019.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, during his budget defence had proposed a bond of nine years for health workers in a bid to curb brain drain.

According to the data, 1,968 of the doctors were currently undergoing training, 1,560 were general practitioners, 1,231 were specialists and a total of 4,652 were associate specialists.