The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria has urged government to introduce a living wage for health workers.
Leaders warned poor pay, insecurity, and decaying infrastructure are fueling mass migration of doctors.
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has called for the introduction of a living wage for doctors and other healthcare professionals, warning that the country’s worsening economic situation is eroding the quality of healthcare delivery.
The appeal was made on Thursday in Enugu during the association’s 14th Biennial Delegates’ Meeting and Scientific Conference, themed “Otanisi Psychosis: The Mental Health Implications of the Dwindling Socio-Economic Fortunes of Nigerians.”
MDCAN’s National President, Prof. Muhammed A. Mohammed, said the migration of doctors and other health workers abroad, popularly known as “japa,” was being driven by poor remuneration, insecurity, and deteriorating hospital infrastructure. He argued that Nigerian doctors need a “living wage” instead of the current minimum wage if the government hopes to retain skilled personnel.
“Human migration predates history, but every cycle has its specification. In 1985, there was also a wave of migration, but we reversed it. The current situation is multifactorial; welfare and security are major issues. We support raising the compensation for key positions. Not just for consultants or doctors, but for all healthcare workers,” Mohammed said.
Representing the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Medical and Allied Health Sciences, Enugu State, revealed that government efforts to tackle the shortfall in medical personnel include doubling the intake quota in medical schools.
“We cannot manufacture doctors except by training them. The policy now is to equip medical schools with stronger capacity so they can train more students without compromising quality,” he explained.
In his address, Prof. Obinna Onodugo, Chief Medical Director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku Ozalla, urged MDCAN members to work in unity to strengthen healthcare delivery.
The conference included initiatives focused on community engagement. Igwe Sir F.O. Nwatu, the Grand Patron of the Enugu Council of Traditional Rulers, praised MDCAN for offering free medical services in his area, calling the initiative “massively unprecedented.”
Prof. Apollos Chidi Ndukuba, Vice President I of MDCAN and Chair of the Local Organising Committee, compared Nigeria’s current hardship to the austerity era of the 1980s, locally referred to as Otanisi. He stressed that today’s economic decline was creating mental health pressures on Nigerians, leading some to irrational behaviour and even suicide.
Dr. Uchenna Dilibe, Chairman of MDCAN at UNTH, added that the infrastructural decay in public hospitals and poor welfare packages for medical workers must be urgently addressed for the healthcare system to function effectively.
