University Teaching Hospitals’ chief medical directors have urged the federal government to boost health workers’ pay and provide favourable working conditions in order to curb the migration of medical experts abroad.
They emphasised that in order to enhance access to healthcare services as well as their quality, a comprehensive approach was needed to strengthen the healthcare system.
The CMDs of the Federal Medical Centres and University Teaching Hospitals expressed concern last week that tertiary health hospitals were in danger of closing as a result of the mass departure of physicians, nurses, and other qualified healthcare professionals who were unhappy with their low pay.
During the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions’ 2025 budget defence, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, the CMD of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and Prof. Jesse Abiodun, the CMD of the University College Hospital in Ibadan, among others, sounded the alarm.
Speaking with press on Saturday, Adeyemo stated, “The government is making efforts to put our hospitals in the right shape, putting a lot of money in the infrastructure; building new structures, while new programmes are being sponsored. Special things are being developed in many hospitals, and money is being put into renovating many of our facilities. Yet, many healthcare workers are leaving, and one major reason they are leaving is because of the economy.
“I am aware that the Federal Government is making efforts, but they need to make it happen. People in every category are leaving, they drop letters every day. We have made a lot of advocacies to increase the number of our personnel but they are not even coming because of the money.
“Our home in Lagos is also compounded by the fact that we are competing with Lagos state government which pays better than the Federal Government. Top-notch private hospitals are springing up in Lagos, and we are losing our doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and others.
“The government needs to increase salaries for people to stay, that is what we need to do in addition to other welfare packages.”
Dr. Pokup Bupwatda, the CMD of Jos University Teaching Hospital in Plateau State, acknowledged the significance of pay raises but also stressed the necessity of a positive work environment.
According to Bupwatda, paying workers well is crucial to keeping them happy and keeping them on board.
He said, “Satisfaction isn’t solely financial, but having the right equipment and the opportunity to use professional skills also play a crucial role.
“For instance, in JUTH, CT scan is a diagnostic equipment that we need. The one we have is obsolete. The government made provision for us to buy it, but we couldn’t because the price went beyond the budgetary allocation because of the inflation.
“I believe with the Renewal Hope of Mr. President, if the economy improves, all those things will definitely improve. We’ll get all of those things. Our budgetary provisions have been improved. I can assure you. If more attention is given to the health sector, if we have the amount, the special intervention, it will go a long way to minimise this Japa syndrome.
In order to fill staffing vacancies, he added, the hiring process was being started.