Brain Drain: NMA laments increasing demand for doctors' services
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed concern over the growing demand for medical doctors in the country as thousands continue to emigrate in search of better opportunities.
The NMA President, Bala Audu, raised the alarm while reading a communique at the end of its Annual Delegates Conference and General Meeting, 2025, held in Katsina State.
The conference is themed: ‘The Universal Applicability of Care Standards for Patients and the Well-being of Health Care Providers’.
Mr Audu said the country’s population is increasing and the demand on individual doctors is also increasing.
He said about 15,000 doctors had left the country for greener pastures abroad in the last five years.
According to him, the recommended doctor-to-patient ratio is 1:600 but due to the continuous exodus of medical doctors, the ratio has raised tremendously.
“If you divide the estimated population of 240 million by the number of practicing doctors, which is 30,000, it will give you the doctor-patients ratio of 1:8000,” he said.
Mr Audu emphasised that Nigerian doctors are among the best trained in the world, attracting recruiters from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia.
He identified poor working conditions and inadequate remuneration as major factors pushing doctors to leave the country.
“There are difficulties pushing the doctors to leave the country, one of which is poor working condition and renumeration,” he said.
“Here we are calling for the payment of seven months outstanding arrears and the consequential adjustments to doctors working in federal tertiary health institutions.”
The NMA is also advocating the universal implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) across all health sectors as a measure to curb the brain drain.
He also said the association rejected the new proposed National Prescription Policy because only doctors were trained to make prescription to patients.
The president said that NMA had conducted an outreach where 500 patients were treated, conducted eye surgeries on 100 patients and distributed nutritional supplements to orphanage homes in Katsina.
(NAN)
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