…Treat Doctors With Respect, Improve Welfare, NMA Tells Government
Aishah Waliyullah & Friday Obiremi
Health experts on Wednesday raised fresh alarms over Nigeria’s chronic underfunding of its health sector, warning that the nation’s over 230 million citizens could continue to suffer catastrophic outcomes unless government urgently scales up investment, partnerships and welfare for medical professionals.
The warnings were issued by the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Bala Muhammad Audu, and the guest speaker and former Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, during the NMA National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta.
The conference, themed “Beyond Crossroads: Unlocking Health System Potential Through Partnerships,” examined Nigeria’s dwindling health indices and the persistent exodus of medical professionals.
Both speakers agreed that Nigeria’s health system can be transformed if funding, governance and cooperation improve.
Prof. Audu said the theme was chosen to highlight Nigeria’s “undeniable but underutilised” health sector capacity, insisting that the country has all it takes to become a global centre for medical excellence if critical reforms are pursued.
According to him: “Nigerian doctors — and indeed the Nigerian healthcare delivery system — have a lot of potential. Countries from other parts of the world come to Nigeria to recruit our doctors to serve their population.”
He added that despite massive brain drain, many high-end public and private hospitals within Nigeria continue to attract patients nationwide — a sign that the system can grow if properly supported.
Prof. Audu maintained that Nigeria can revive medical tourism and become “an international hub for training healthcare professionals,” but only if federal and subnational governments work with stakeholders to harness existing capacity.
The NMA President also urged the Federal and State Governments to improve the welfare, dignity and working conditions of doctors, arguing that morale in the profession has steadily collapsed due to neglect.
“We want doctors at all levels — federal and subnational — to be treated with more respect and appreciation for the job they do,” he said.
“Improving their welfare is not just for comfort. It ensures they are better motivated to dedicate themselves to quality healthcare delivery.”
Audu warned that poor remuneration and harsh working conditions are fueling the continuous exit of Nigerian doctors to foreign countries.
Audu also urged stakeholders to “explore and maximise” emerging opportunities to build a healthier nation.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye described Nigeria’s health sector as “a baby crying for help,” insisting that the system remains one of the least funded among comparable nations.
“We need to open up the health sector space and look for opportunities around us, particularly the financing opportunity,” he said.
“Private capital and donor capital must be allowed to come in a transparent manner to improve investment.”
Ipaye noted that Nigeria’s current expenditure on health — hovering around 3.7% of GDP — is too low to support the healthcare needs of a population exceeding 230 million.
“3.7 percent of GDP is too low to run the kind of system that will cover the care of 230 to 330 million people,” he warned.
Although he acknowledged recent improvements since the Tinubu administration took office, he stressed that even a rise from 4% to 7% in health spending is still “far from the 15 percent Abuja Declaration target.”
Dr. Ipaye called for a national cross-subsidy model, where premium payments from wealthy patients help fund care for Nigerians who cannot afford quality healthcare.
“If we don’t insure the health of the have-nots, they will continue to infect the general population,” he said.
“Countries like India do it successfully, and even Eye Foundation Hospitals in Nigeria use this model. The rich pay more, and their payments subsidize the poor.”
On health insurance, Ipaye warned that Nigeria’s 3–5% coverage rate is dangerously low and partly responsible for catastrophic medical expenses among families.
“With 3 to 5 percent insurance penetration in a country of 230 million people, we are not likely to get it right,” he said.
“We must push coverage — both social and private — to at least 50 percent to pool resources and share risks effectively.”
While hailing the Federal Government’s new national sector renewal initiative, which unites donors, private players and government under one framework, Ipaye warned that Nigeria must sustain such collaboration to achieve results.
“It is good enough to start a compact, but the most important thing is to go the long journey,” he said.
Commenting on recurring disputes involving resident doctors and government, Ipaye criticised the poor remuneration structure for medical professionals in Nigeria.
“The pay for doctors in Nigeria is not enough. When I hear how much my colleagues earn, I wonder who we want to encourage to study medicine,” he said.
He recommended a payment-by-effort model to improve motivation and reduce industrial crises.
“There is no justification for sacrificing your social life and family life to care for others, only to be poorly paid,” he added.
Ipaye concluded: “countries spending less than us have better outcomes because they work together. If Nigeria’s new partnerships work, we can finally get on the path to where we want to be.”
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