Nigeria must keep critical health workers to curb medical tourism — NMA President

President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Bala Audu. Credit: NMA

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The National President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Bala Audu, on Friday emphasised the need for the country to retain its critical health workers — particularly medical doctors and specialists — through commensurate welfare packages in order to reduce medical tourism and improve the nation’s health indices.

Audu made the call while briefing journalists at the close of the NMA’s National Executive Council meeting held in Abeokuta, Ogun State with the theme “Beyond Crossroads: Unlocking Health System Potential Through Partnership.”

Speaking on deliberations at the NEC meeting, the NMA President said that Nigeria, despite its challenges, is known to have highly qualified medical practitioners who provide high-end medical care across both private and public health facilities, not only to Nigerians but also to patients coming from abroad.

He explained that this demonstrates Nigeria’s potential to significantly reduce medical tourism by creating adequate awareness about facilities and expertise already available within the country.

Audu said such awareness would help Nigerians realise that many of the services they seek abroad are available locally, and in many cases, right at their doorstep.

He added that the country also has the capacity to attract financial inflows and other economic benefits by promoting its medical capabilities to international patients, just as Nigerians travel abroad for care.

Audu stressed that retaining critical health workers through robust welfare packages and competitive remuneration is central to achieving these goals.

“For a robust healthcare sector that can cut down on medical tourism and improve the country’s healthcare indices, it is critical that Nigeria retains its key health workers, particularly specialised and sub-specialised medical and dental professionals.

“These are professionals with rare skills in high demand across the world, and this has made Nigeria a supplier of doctors to other countries. We must therefore create a competitive and mutually beneficial work environment — one that benefits both the doctors who provide these services and those who employ them.

“It is a win-win situation when we improve the total work package and welfare of Nigerian doctors so they can continue to give their best. We leave this NEC meeting with a message to the government and the public: the quality of what we put into our healthcare delivery system will determine the quality of output and outcomes that improve Nigeria’s health indices”, he said.

The NMA President therefore called on the Federal Government to fulfil all the demands contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Nigerian doctors as part of efforts to provide the necessary support they need to deliver quality healthcare.

The association also appealed to the government to capture the new salary structure for health workers in the 2026 budget and commence its implementation in January next year.

Nigeria’s health sector continues to face persistent challenges, including an acute shortage of health workers resulting from poor remuneration and working conditions, which have pushed many medical professionals to migrate to the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries in search of better opportunities.

Despite ongoing reforms, the sector still struggles with underfunding, severe brain drain, and inadequate infrastructure — factors that continue to impact national health outcomes.

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