The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the Federal Government to urgently implement a retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers.
According to the association, this will serve as a palliative measure for healthcare workforce shortages and migration.
The President of the NMA, Prof. Afekhide-Ernest Omoti, made the demand at a news conference in Abuja on Friday to wrap up the association’s 2026 National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting held in Abuja.
Omoti said the NEC reiterated its concern over the delay in implementing the retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers.
He said that at a time when Nigeria is experiencing a significant shortage of skilled healthcare professionals due to migration and other factors, retaining experienced clinicians within the system is essential.
According to the president, implementing the retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers will provide an important palliative measure as Nigeria continues to address the broader challenge of healthcare workforce shortages and migration.
Omoti said the NEC also expressed concern over the poor state of road infrastructure across the country, stressing that bad roads have serious implications for healthcare delivery.
“They delay patients seeking emergency care, impede referrals, affect the transportation of medicines and medical supplies, and make it difficult for healthcare workers to reach underserved communities.
“The NMA, therefore, calls on governments at all levels to urgently prioritise the rehabilitation, construction and maintenance of roads leading to healthcare facilities, particularly in rural and underserved communities,” he said.
He urged the government to recognise road infrastructure as an essential component of healthcare delivery and a critical determinant of health outcomes.
The NMA President also spoke about the increasing prevalence of drug and substance abuse among Nigerian youths and its consequences for mental health, families, communities and the nation’s productive workforce.
He said the NMA considers it a growing public health emergency requiring a coordinated national response, while calling on the Federal Government to declare drug and substance abuse among Nigerian youths a national public health priority.
The president said the government should strengthen prevention programmes, improve public enlightenment, regulate access to harmful substances, and expand mental health and addiction treatment services at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of healthcare.
The NMA also called for greater collaboration among the ministries, departments and agencies responsible for health, education, youth development, security and social welfare in tackling this challenge.
The NMA president also expressed concern over the continued failure to implement appropriate tax relief measures for essential workers, particularly healthcare professionals.
He said medical practitioners and other healthcare workers provide essential services under demanding and often hazardous conditions, including working long hours, responding to emergencies and providing care in underserved communities.
Omoti called on the Federal Government to consider and grant appropriate tax waivers, rebates or other tax relief measures to medical practitioners and other healthcare professionals in both the public and private sectors.
“Doctors in private hospitals need special protections from multiple taxation and the heavy electricity tariff burden, whose cost may ultimately be transferred to poor Nigerian patients,” he said.
The president said the NMA believes that such measures would contribute to improving the welfare and retention of health professionals in Nigeria.
Omoti also said the NMA NEC expressed concern over the continued delay in implementing the outstanding Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with health workers.
He said the prolonged delays in addressing the legitimate demands have contributed significantly to dissatisfaction within the workforce and have further encouraged the migration of medical doctors and other health professionals out of Nigeria.
He also spoke about insecurity and the safety of health workers, expressing concern over the escalating cases of killings, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity across the country.
“Of particular concern is the continued captivity of a medical practitioner from Niger State who has reportedly been held for approximately four months. This situation is unacceptable,” he said.
The NMA president appealed to the Federal Government and all relevant security agencies to intensify efforts to end banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other forms of insecurity across Nigeria.
He urged the government to strengthen security around healthcare facilities and personnel in vulnerable communities and ensure that every effort is made to secure the safe release of the abducted doctor and all other citizens being held in captivity.
The NMA president acknowledged the progress being made by the government in several areas of healthcare infrastructure and service delivery, adding that there is a need to match infrastructure development with investment in the healthcare workforce.
“A hospital building without doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other skilled professionals cannot provide the quality of care Nigerians deserve,” Omoti said.
