Doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria is worsening ? NMA

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has raised concerns about the deteriorating doctor-patient ratio in the country, describing it as significantly below international standards. 

NMA President Bala Audu made this known during an interactive meeting with the Abuja media on Wednesday, July 17. 

“The doctor-patient ratio is about 1,000 percent less than what the World Health Organisation recommended,” Audu stated. He highlighted a recent survey among new medical graduates, which revealed a strong preference for leaving the country rather than staying to practice. “Your guess is as good as mine,” he said, referring to the graduates’ inclination to seek opportunities abroad.

Audu emphasized the need to address this critical issue. “It’s something that is worsening, but it is something that we can mitigate. And I think that is the essence of such interactive forums, not to keep crying about our problems, but to profile solutions to these problems,” he added.

The alarming trend of healthcare worker emigration is contributing to the crisis. Experts attribute this to inadequate equipment, worsening insecurity, poor working conditions, and a poor salary structure. According to data from the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, approximately 1,056 consultants left the country between 2019 and 2023 in search of better opportunities.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors also reported that over 900 of its members emigrated to Europe between January and September 2023. This exodus of healthcare professionals is exacerbating the already strained healthcare system in Nigeria, making it imperative for stakeholders to urgently address the root causes and implement effective solutions to retain medical talent within the country.

Audu added; 

“The issues that will prevent doctors, and nurses from leaving this country include improving their well-being. It’s more than just their take-home package, their take-home package is important because they also need to have health care, they also need to educate their children, and so on. And if another person is providing a better opportunity, there is a tendency for them to take that option.

“Also, we need to improve the friendliness of the workplace environment. There have been situations of attack on health care providers, especially by the people who take patients to hospitals, probably because one or other things are not available and everybody is charged up and angry, and you get attacked. The facilities also need to be improved.

“Housing is also one of the requirements, especially for internship training. By regulation, for you to have quality training for house officers, they must be housed within the hospital because they need to be available at all times. You hear very much about the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors. The residency training implies that they should live within the hospital, which means there has to be provision of accommodation for them.

“We train these people with a lot of money. This country invests so much in training every doctor, nurse, dentist, and other healthcare provider, but how many of them do we take up after they graduate, despite the challenges we have in terms of the demand power for health? So if we don’t employ them early enough, somebody else will come and employ them and take them outside this country.”