
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has highlighted a concerning decline in the doctor-patient ratio in the country, emphasizing that it is significantly below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended standards.
Speaking during an interactive session with the media in Abuja on Wednesday, NMA President Bala Audu disclosed that the current doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria is about 1,000 percent lower than WHO’s guidelines. He expressed alarm over this disparity and underscored the urgent need for solutions to mitigate the situation.
“The doctor-patient ratio is about 1,000 percent less than what the World Health Organisation recommended. Recently, there was a medical school that graduated its medical students and I think they did a survey and asked the new graduates if they would stay or prefer to leave. Your guess is as good as mine. It’s something that is worsening, but it is something that we can mitigate,” Audu stated.
Audu also addressed the issue of healthcare professionals leaving Nigeria for better opportunities abroad, citing inadequate equipment, worsening insecurity, poor working conditions, and low salaries as key push factors. According to data from the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, over 1,000 consultants left the country between 2019 and 2023. Similarly, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors reported that more than 900 of its members migrated to Europe between January and September 2023 alone.
To address these challenges and retain healthcare workers, Audu stressed the importance of improving their well-being, enhancing working conditions, and providing housing schemes, particularly for interns and residents.
“We need to improve the friendliness of the workplace environment. There have been situations of attack on healthcare providers, especially by the people who bring patients to hospitals, probably because certain things are not available and everyone is frustrated and angry,” Audu highlighted.
He further advocated for increased investment in training facilities and infrastructure to accommodate the growing number of medical students being admitted annually, following the recent increase in enrollment quotas announced by the government.
“The increase in enrollment quota is one of the steps in mitigating the ‘Japa’ syndrome in the health sector,” Audu remarked, referring to the trend of healthcare professionals leaving Nigeria.
In conclusion, Audu called for sustained dialogue with the government to improve healthcare infrastructure and ensure the production of high-quality healthcare professionals for Nigeria and beyond.
The NMA continues to engage stakeholders and advocate for policies that will enhance healthcare delivery and mitigate the challenges facing the sector in Nigeria.