The Nigerian Medical Association has said many Nigerian doctors want to remain in the country but are being forced to leave by poor working conditions, insecurity, inadequate remuneration and limited career opportunities.
The NMA President, Dr Afekhide Omoti, stated this yesterday in Abuja while briefing journalists after the association’s National Executive Council meeting.
Omoti said the situation had become so pronounced that some medical students begin planning to leave Nigeria even before completing their training, reports Weekend Trust.
He said, “Every doctor wants to remain in this country. I can assure you hardly any doctor ordinarily would want to leave. So we want to stay, but for many people, they just cannot do it anymore, so they have no choice.”
According to him, young doctors often begin writing foreign examinations while undergoing internship because they do not see a future ahead of them in Nigeria.
Omoti said more than 50 per cent of Nigerian doctors had already left the country, describing the trend as a major loss after government had invested heavily in their training.
“The government spends so much money to train an average doctor and these doctors leave for free. So who loses? The government loses. The Nigerian people lose,” he said.
He said the NMA had proposed a minimum retention package for doctors, stressing that it was not asking the government to match what doctors earn abroad.
“What we are saying is we are not asking that you give us what is equivalent to what people earn abroad, but we are saying give us what will make the doctor happy to remain in the country,” he said.
The association also called on the federal government to urgently implement the 65-year retirement age for clinical health workers, saying retaining experienced clinicians was necessary amid the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals.
The NMA further urged the government to conclude and implement the outstanding collective bargaining agreement with health workers, saying its financial implications should be captured in the 2027 budget.
Omoti said improved welfare and working conditions were critical to reversing the migration of health professionals.
“We cannot retain healthcare professionals in an environment where their lives are threatened. We cannot effectively address brain drain without improving the welfare and working conditions of healthcare workers,” he said.
