Nigerian Doctors Seek Better Conditions to Stay in Nigeria

On Friday in Abuja, Dr. Afekhide Omoti, President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), addressed the media following the association’s National Executive Council meeting. He revealed that the migration of doctors has become so severe that many medical students start planning to leave Nigeria before completing their training.

Omoti stated that over 50% of Nigerian doctors have already left, which he described as a significant loss for the country, given the government's investment in their education. He emphasized that doctors do not want to leave but feel they have no choice due to the lack of a promising future in Nigeria.

The NMA proposed a minimum retention package to encourage doctors to stay, asserting that it does not seek salaries equivalent to those abroad but rather a compensation that would make doctors content to remain. Additionally, the NMA called for the Federal Government to implement a 65-year retirement age for clinical health workers and to finalize the outstanding collective bargaining agreement with health workers, highlighting the need for improved welfare and working conditions to combat the brain drain.