Nigerian doctors warn of worsening brain drain amid insecurity and poor pay

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a stark warning about the worsening conditions faced by healthcare workers in Nigeria, attributing the escalating "brain drain" to inadequate pay, pervasive insecurity, and challenging work environments. The association's National Executive Council (NEC), meeting in Abuja, deliberated on critical issues impacting healthcare delivery and the welfare of medical professionals.

While acknowledging government investments in healthcare infrastructure, the NMA stressed that physical facilities alone are insufficient without a motivated, protected, and adequately compensated workforce. The association urged the Federal Government to promptly address outstanding welfare concerns, warning that failure to do so would exacerbate the crisis of skilled professionals leaving the country. Prolonged delays in finalizing and implementing the Collective Bargaining Agreement have fueled dissatisfaction among health workers, prompting many to seek opportunities overseas.

The NMA called for the swift conclusion, approval, signing, and implementation of the agreement, ensuring its financial implications are reflected in the 2027 budget. "Meaningful engagement with health workers is essential to industrial harmony and the retention of skilled professionals in the Nigerian health system," the association stated.

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Infrastructure alone cannot guarantee an effective health system without a motivated, adequately protected and properly remunerated health workforce.

Furthermore, the doctors demanded tax relief for healthcare professionals, arguing that they work under demanding and often hazardous conditions, including long hours and service in underserved areas. The NMA warned that the burden of high costs, including multiple taxation and electricity expenses, particularly for doctors in private hospitals, could eventually be passed on to patients.

On a related public health front, the NMA identified the growing problem of drug and substance abuse among young Nigerians as a significant concern requiring urgent government intervention. The association urged the government to declare youth drug and substance abuse a national public health priority and to expand mental health and addiction treatment services across all levels of the healthcare system.

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Meaningful engagement with health workers is essential to industrial harmony and the retention of skilled professionals in the Nigerian health system.