Dr. Osahon Enabulele, a former head of the World Medical Association, has asked the Nigerian government to stop treating doctors like regular civil servants. He said this mistake is making many doctors leave the country.
Dr. Enabulele, who also led the Nigerian and Commonwealth Medical Associations, said the government doesn’t understand the special challenges that healthcare workers face. As a result, many feel abandoned, discouraged, and less loyal to the country.
At the 2025 National Health Summit, hosted online by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, he said the way doctors are judged under the civil service system is unfair. This system doesn’t understand how hard and complex medical jobs are.
“Right now, health workers feel like orphans. They don’t feel supported by their country. That’s why many are leaving,” he said. “If we evaluated jobs fairly, we’d see how disadvantaged health workers really are.”
To fix this, he suggested creating a separate Health Service Commission that would focus only on healthcare workers. This commission would handle things like salaries, training, work conditions, and career growth.
He explained that healthcare workers shouldn’t be placed in the regular civil service system, which doesn’t understand their unique work. A special commission could better support them.
He said the new commission should be like the National Universities Commission (NUC), but for health. It should include all health professionals, with doctors taking a lead role.
Dr. Enabulele also criticized the government for not spending enough on healthcare, even though the country has many sick people.
He warned that Nigeria needs over 300,000 more doctors to meet health needs. He called on the government to open many more medical schools and training centers.
He said, “We are barely making a dent. Nigeria needs between 3,000 and 4,000 medical schools to solve the problem. Talking isn’t enough — we need real funding.”
He also urged the government to adjust doctors’ pay to keep up with inflation. He said working conditions, access to loans, and insurance must improve too.
Dr. Enabulele said these things are standard in countries where health workers are not leaving their jobs.
Referring to a global health policy discussed in Geneva, he challenged African leaders to start using it to support, motivate, and keep their healthcare workers.
He said health is key to a country’s wealth. But African nations, including Nigeria, don’t take it seriously — even though they have 25% of the world’s illnesses and less than 1% of the world’s health workers.
He stressed that pay should match inflation. Leaving salaries unchanged for years kills motivation and productivity.
He also spoke about how poor medical facilities are in Nigeria. He said some consultation rooms are worse than living rooms in other countries.
Dr. Enabulele ended by urging the government to move beyond just promises. He said real investment in training, staff support, and hospital infrastructure is needed. Without it, Nigeria’s health system could collapse.
