The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has sounded the alarm over worsening conditions faced by healthcare workers, stressing that poor pay, insecurity, and harsh working environments are driving medical professionals out of the country.
Speaking after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the association noted that while government investments in infrastructure are welcome, they cannot deliver quality healthcare without a motivated and adequately protected workforce.
The NMA urged the Federal Government to resolve lingering welfare issues, including delays in implementing the Collective Bargaining Agreement, warning that continued neglect will deepen Nigeria’s brain drain. It also demanded tax relief for doctors, particularly those in private practice who face multiple levies and rising electricity costs—burdens that could ultimately fall on patients.
On public health, the association raised concern over rising drug and substance abuse among youths, calling for urgent government action and expanded mental health services. It also linked poor road networks to weak healthcare outcomes, noting that bad roads delay emergency treatment and disrupt supply chains.
The NMA renewed its call for a 65-year retirement age for clinical workers and highlighted the dangers of insecurity, citing the case of a doctor held captive in Niger State for months. It pressed for stronger protection of healthcare workers and universal salary structures across all institutions.
Concluding, the association emphasized that Nigeria cannot build a sustainable health system while losing skilled professionals to other countries. It called for collaboration between government, health workers, and civil society to address the sector’s challenges, insisting that “a hospital without doctors and nurses is just a building.”
