By Muhammad Amaan
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has decried what it described as increasing demand for Medical Doctors’ services in the country amidst the current brain drain syndrome.
The NMA President, Professor Bala Muhammad Audu, stated while reading a communique at the end of the association’s Annual Delegates Conference and General Meeting for the year 2025, held in Katsina State.
The conference had theme: ‘The Universal Applicability of Care Standards for Patients and the Well-being of Health Care Providers.’
He lamented that while the population is increasing, and demand on individual doctors also increasing, the doctors are leaving the country for greener pastures.
According to him, 15,000 doctors had left the country for greener pastures abroad in the last five years.
Prof. Audu revealed that the standard ratio of doctor-patients was1:600, adding that due to the continuous exodus of the 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.
The NMA President added that Nigeria is among the countries with the best trained doctors, where even United States of America, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, among other countries, purposely come to Nigeria to recruit medical doctors.
“There are difficulties pushing the doctors to leave the country, one of which is poor working condition and renumeration. We are calling for the payment of seven months outstanding arrears and the consequential adjustments to doctors working in federal tertiary health institutions,” he said.
Prof. Audu further said that the NMA was now advocating the universal applicability of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) to its members in all sectors to reduce the brain drain syndrome.
He stated that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the association has also resolved its commitment to ensuring that the universal applicability of CONMESS to all cadres of doctors working across all sectors in Nigeria is implemented across board and will continue to advocate and lobby all relevant stakeholders to ensure it is done.
He also said that 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.
The NMA President added that the association have resolved to institute an award of recognition to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, for displaying uncommon support to the NMA towards its building project.
