Although the nationwide strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) was suspended on Saturday night, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Outlander Tope, has blamed the Federal Government for breaching agreements and neglecting the welfare of doctors.
He accused the government of insensitivity, saying this has worsened the country’s brain drain crisis.
Speaking on the Frontline programme of Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, monitored by New Telegraph on Monday, Dr. Osundara lamented the state of Nigeria’s health sector, warning that the system is under severe strain.
“Normally, you should have one doctor to 600 patients, but in Nigeria, it is one doctor to about 10,000 patients. That means only about 25,000 doctors are left to cater for over 200 million Nigerians. How then can we expect quality healthcare delivery?” he asked.
He explained that while some of NARD’s demands on residency training had been addressed, several pressing issues such as poor welfare, excessive workload, decayed teaching hospital infrastructure, and outdated salary structures remain unresolved.
According to him, the government has failed to honour the collective bargaining agreement on doctors’ salaries, which should be reviewed every five years in line with inflation and economic realities. Instead, he said, what doctors received was a wage award of ₦30,000 to ₦40,000, which he described as “a unilateral decision and not a proper salary adjustment.”
Dr. Osundara warned that until the government significantly improves budgetary allocation to health, in line with the Abuja Declaration’s 15 percent benchmark, strikes in the sector will persist. He also condemned the downgrading of Nigeria’s postgraduate medical certificates, arguing that it lowers standards and discourages young doctors from pursuing careers in the country.
On developments in Oyo State, the NMA President accused Governor Seyi Makinde of “selective injustice” in handling welfare issues at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso. He noted that while doctors in other state-owned hospitals had been properly placed and were receiving full benefits, their colleagues at LAUTECH remained underpaid and neglected.
“Our members at LAUTECH are still on strike. If the government fails to resolve this within 15 days, doctors across the state will embark on an indefinite solidarity strike,” he warned.
Dr. Osundara stressed that Nigeria must embrace progressive solutions to retain doctors and strengthen the health system, adding that “stone age methods” will only worsen the migration of skilled medical professionals.
