NMA Calls for Competitive Welfare to Combat Brain Drain and Curb Medical Tourism

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a powerful call to action, emphasising that retaining the nation’s critical health workers, especially medical doctors and specialists, is paramount to significantly improving Nigeria’s national health indices and drastically reducing the debilitating reliance on medical tourism.

Speaking to journalists at the conclusion of the NMA’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on November 10, the National President, Prof. Bala Audu, stressed that commensurate welfare packages and competitive remuneration are the central mechanisms for achieving this goal. The meeting, themed “Beyond Crossroads: Unlocking Health System Potential Through Partnership, served as a platform to address the persistent crises plaguing the country’s healthcare system.

Prof. Audu highlighted that Nigeria is internationally recognised for its pool of highly qualified and experienced medical professionals who consistently deliver high-end medical care across both private and public health facilities. He pointed out that this expertise serves not only Nigerians but also patients who travel from abroad specifically for treatment.

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He explained that this proven capacity demonstrates Nigeria’s profound potential to curb medical tourism significantly. The solution, he suggested, lies in raising awareness of the high-quality facilities and specialised expertise already available in the country. This awareness campaign would effectively counter the misconception that high-level care is only accessible overseas, helping Nigerians realise that many services they seek abroad are, in fact, available locally, often right at their doorstep.

Moreover, Prof. Audu affirmed that by promoting its medical capabilities, Nigeria can attract financial inflows and other substantial economic benefits from international patients, thereby mitigating the financial drain caused by Nigerians travelling abroad for care. However, retaining critical health workers through robust welfare packages and competitive remuneration is central to achieving these economic and health-related goals.

Prof. Audu articulated the NMA’s position with clarity: “For a robust healthcare sector that can cut down on medical tourism and improve the country’s healthcare indices, Nigeria must retain 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.

Improving the overall work package and welfare of Nigerian doctors can benefit both parties, enabling them to continue providing their utmost efforts. 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”

Nigeria’s health sector continues to face persistent and deep-seated challenges. The most critical is an acute shortage of health workers, mainly driven by poor remuneration, hazardous working conditions, and a lack of modern equipment. 

This situation has fuelled the pervasive “Japa” (migration) syndrome, which drives thousands of medical professionals to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia in search of better opportunities. Recent data suggest that the doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria is alarmingly low, far below the World Health Organisation (WHO)- recommended standard of 1:600, significantly straining the remaining workforce.

The NMA President, therefore, used the platform to call on the Federal Government to immediately fulfil all the demands contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Nigerian doctors. This agreement is essential for providing the support structure doctors need to deliver quality healthcare effectively. Specifically, the association appealed to the government to ensure the new salary structure for health workers is captured in the 2026 budget and that its implementation commences by January of next year.

Despite ongoing reforms, the sector still struggles with chronic underfunding, with health spending consistently below the recommended Abuja Declaration benchmark of 15% of the national budget, severe brain drain, and inadequate infrastructure. These factors collectively threaten national health outcomes and public confidence in the healthcare system. The NMA believes that prioritising physician welfare is the most cost-effective long-term strategy to revitalise the sector, as the cost of training a medical specialist far outweighs the cost of retaining them.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NMA President’s primary concern? 

The primary concern is the need to retain critical health workers, particularly specialised medical doctors, through improved and competitive welfare packages and compensation. Such an effort is viewed as a key strategy to combat brain drain and reduce reliance on medical tourism.

How does keeping doctors in the country help reduce medical tourism?

By retaining highly qualified specialists, Nigeria can provide high-end medical services locally. The NMA believes that raising awareness of this existing expertise and infrastructure will convince Nigerians that many services sought abroad are available domestically, thereby cutting down on foreign medical travel.

What specific action did the NMA request from the Federal Government? 

The NMA called on the government to immediately fulfil the demands in the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with doctors and specifically to capture and commence implementing a new, competitive salary structure for health workers in the 2026 budget, starting in January next year.

What is the “Japa” syndrome in the Nigerian health sector? 

The “Japa” syndrome refers to the mass migration of medical professionals (doctors, nurses, etc.) from Nigeria to developed countries (such as the UK, the US, and Canada) due to poor working conditions, inadequate infrastructure, and non-competitive remuneration in Nigeria.