The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to the Federal and state governments to immediately stop casualisation of doctors working in public hospitals across the country.
NMA’s first Vice-President, Dr Benjamin Olowojebutu, made the appeal in an interview in Lagos on Wednesday.
Olowojebutu contended that ending casualisation of doctors would help to check brain drain and restore sanity to the health sector.
“All doctors working in public hospitals must be given permanent and pensionable employment after a clearly defined probation period.
“Temporary contracts must not exceed one year,” Olowojebutu said.
Casualisation is employing professionals on temporary or contract bases without job security, benefits or career progression.
Olowojebutu lamented that casualisation had become the norm rather than the exception for medical doctors in Nigeria, particularly in state-owned hospitals and teaching institutions.
“Young doctors are hired as a locum or contract staff with no pension, no health insurance, and salaries that are slashed arbitrarily.
“Many work under this exploitative arrangement for years, with no hope of confirmation or permanent employment.
“These doctors are treated like expendable tools—recruited when needed and discarded without explanation.
“How can a government that claims to value healthcare allow such inhumane conditions persist?
“How can a system demand excellence from doctors while offering them crumbs and chaos in return?,” he queried.
According to him, the current reality shows that Nigerian doctors are not valued by their government.
He said that many doctors also faced victimisation when they spoke up or demanded better working conditions.
Olowojebutu added that those who participated in legitimate industrial actions were often blacklisted and their salaries withheld for months.
“In many teaching hospitals, resident doctors are treated like slaves—overworked, underpaid, and subjected to the whims of vindictive supervisors.
“Promotions are politicised. Disciplinary actions are wielded like weapons. And when doctors dare to push back, they are punished with punitive postings or, worse still, summary dismissals.
“This climate of fear and oppression breeds despair,” Olowojebutu said.
Olowojebutu emphasised that the consequence of these systematic abuse is the mass emigration of Nigerian doctors.
He cited data from NMA which showed that over 2,000 doctors leave Nigeria annually.
According to him, the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) database shows that over 12,000 Nigerian-trained doctors are currently practicing in the UK.
“The scary number continues to rise every month.
“This brain drain is not just a loss for the medical community—it is a death sentence for millions of Nigerians who rely on public hospitals,” he said.
He stressed that it was troubling to note that an entire local government had no resident doctors, adding that emergency response times have worsened and mortality rates increasing.
Olowojebutu urged the government to guarantee job security and respect for rights of doctors, and improved remuneration and working conditions to enhance the health sector.
He emphasised that heads of institutions that victimise doctors should be investigated and sanctioned.
He also called for the establishment of an independent grievance redress system for medical professionals.
Olowojebutu further called for increased budgetary allocation to the health sector and ensure transparent utilisation of funds to boost quality, accessible and efficient healthcare services for citizens.
NAN
