On the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary, the Nigeria Medical Association highlights the challenges faced in the health sector, such as poor remuneration, outdated equipment, and the migration of health professionals.
Despite the sector’s resilience, there are concerns about the sustainability of progress without prompt action.
The association calls for urgent interventions to retain health workers, including better pay, improved security, and modern equipment.
Recent statistics show a significant number of doctors leaving the country, creating a shortage in the healthcare workforce.
The government is taking steps to address these challenges, but experts warn that it will take years to produce enough health workers to meet the country’s needs.
President Bola Tinubu has implemented a policy to address workforce migration and retain skilled professionals in the health sector.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) President, Prof Bala Audu, assessed the health sector, noting that despite producing skilled professionals for Nigeria and globally since independence, significant challenges persist. Audu attributed these challenges largely to the country’s economic situation.
“We have made notable contributions to medical research, benefiting humanity,” Audu said. “However, our growth is accompanied by challenges, largely tied to economic struggles.”
He identified two major issues: equipping hospitals with modern infrastructure is costly, and maintaining outdated equipment is a burden.
However, Audu emphasized that the most critical challenge is the shortage of highly skilled professionals, many of whom have left Nigeria for various reasons.
“I think our greatest and saddest moments are those where we see a significant proportion of our highly skilled health professionals across all age brackets leaving this country to go and practice in other countries, for many reasons that we believe can be solved in this country.
“But I think by and large, looking at the entire performance of the country as a nation, I think the health sector remains one of those sectors that has stood the test of time. But for how long we can maintain this, I think it’s something that requires a lot of input from government and the private sector, as well as individual practising professionals,” Audu said.
According to the NMA president, retaining healthcare workers requires a three-pronged approach: well-equipped workplaces, adequate security, and fair compensation.
“If we have those things in place, that is to say, you have the combination of a work environment where you have complete facilities, where there is good security, where there is respect for both staff and patients and where people can walk in and get access to quality health care that is affordable. The third is security for life and property.
“But all these three key factors are predicated around adequate funding and commitment to utilise such funds effectively,” the doctor elaborated.
He called Nigerians to remain patriotic and contribute their quota to making the country “among the greatest in the world.”
Dr. Saheed Babajide, Lagos State NMA Chairman, stated that there has been a reduction in the previous progress made in the health sector in the past eight years.
He noted that while the “japa syndrome” among health workers increased, the rise in drug prices made treatment difficult for the populace, forcing them to resort to traditional medicine.
Babajide decried the poor remuneration of health professionals and hospital closures, describing the health sector as “going down.” “The health sector has not improved,” he said. “The leadership and authority in charge of the health sector in Nigeria, and states, have failed woefully in improving the health sector.”
“The president should, in the same way he rejigged the economy, rejig the health sector,” Babajide urged. “The president should look for those that have the home knowledge, not abroad knowledge, to meet the health sector needs in Nigeria, if we want to move forward.”
Babajide called on the president to reduce or eradicate the “japa syndrome” by increasing the remuneration of healthcare workers in line with the current economic situation.
He advocated for non-taxable call duty allowances and welfare packages such as housing and car loans, and training and retraining of doctors in administrative and professional courses.
The doctor said, “Increase budgetary allocations to the health sector. Establishment of comprehensive specific speciality centres in the geopolitical zones of the country i.e. construction of General Surgery centres, Paediatric centres, Plastic Surgery centres, Obstetrics & Gynaecology centres, Internal Medicine centres, Renal centres, Cardiac centres etc to reduce medical tourism.
“Establishment of Infection Disease Hospitals in each geopolitical zone and later in each of the states, improvement in National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure better, extensive and effective Universal Health Coverage and a reduction in the cost of pharmaceutical drugs, medical instruments and equipment.”
