NMA urges Bauchi, FG to improve doctors’ conditions to stem brain drain

The Nigerian Medical Association, Bauchi State Branch, has called on the state and Federal Governments to improve healthcare workers’ working conditions and introduce measures to retain skilled medical personnel amid rising migration of doctors.

The association also urged the Bauchi State Government to commence internship and postgraduate medical training at the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi, as part of efforts to retain doctors trained in the state.

The NMA made the call on Monday in Bauchi during a press briefing to mark the 2026 Physicians’ Week, themed, “Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria.”

While presenting the address of the NMA National President, Prof. Afekhide Ernest, the Bauchi State Branch Vice Chairman, Dr Bello Abdullahi, said the annual event provided an opportunity to address challenges threatening the medical profession and consider the future of healthcare delivery in the country.

He said, “Medicine in Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We are proud of our achievements, our resilience and our capacity to deliver under difficult circumstances.

“Yet, we must also acknowledge the realities confronting our profession: increasing workloads, inadequate infrastructure, insecurity, declining remuneration and welfare, professional burnout, migration of our colleagues and rising health risks among physicians.”

Abdullahi added that the future of medicine could be secured only through deliberate action, strategic investment and collective responsibility.

Speaking on the sub-theme, “Saving the Savers,” he stressed the need to prioritise the physical and mental well-being of doctors, warning that exhausted and emotionally depleted physicians could not indefinitely provide the quality of care patients deserved.

He said, “There is a dangerous misconception that being a good doctor means being an exhausted doctor. It does not. A physician who is physically exhausted, emotionally depleted, chronically stressed and personally neglected cannot indefinitely provide the quality of care our patients deserve.”

The NMA vice chairman called for improved workplace conditions, regular medical checks, adequate rest and access to confidential professional and psychological support for healthcare workers.

He also condemned attacks, threats and intimidation against medical personnel, insisting that hospitals must remain safe environments for both healthcare workers and patients.

“The safety of doctors is not negotiable. And when doctors are safe, patients are safer,” he stated.

Abdullahi, while commenting on the migration of Nigerian doctors, said the country must move beyond appeals to patriotism and address the conditions compelling medical professionals to seek opportunities abroad.

According to him, competitive remuneration, professional dignity, security and career development opportunities were necessary to encourage doctors to remain in the country.

“The answer cannot simply be that doctors should remain because of patriotism. Patriotism should be supported by decent working conditions, professional dignity, security, competitive remuneration, opportunities for career development and a health system in which doctors can see a future for themselves and their families,” he said.

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He urged the government to develop effective brain-retention and brain-recirculation strategies, noting that Nigerian doctors in the diaspora could contribute to the country’s healthcare system through structured collaborations, research and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Abdullahi said the NMA remained committed to defending the welfare and dignity of doctors, promoting ethical medical practice and contributing to policies that would improve healthcare delivery.

He also called for unity among medical practitioners, urging them to place the collective interests of the profession above individual differences.

Meanwhile, while reading the address of the Bauchi State NMA Chairman, Dr Muhammad Abdullahi, the vice chairman commended the state government, led by Governor Bala Mohammed, for its interventions in the health sector.

He listed the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), renovation of secondary health facilities and primary healthcare centres, and the renovation and upgrading of the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi, among the government’s achievements.

He also commended the government’s commitment to completing the doctors’ quarters at the NMA secretariat, while acknowledging other interventions aimed at improving healthcare delivery in the state.

However, the association said more needed to be done to address emerging challenges and prevailing economic realities affecting healthcare workers.

It called on the state government to immediately commence internship and postgraduate medical training at the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi, describing the move as a strategic measure to retain skilled manpower.

The NMA also urged the government to review healthcare workers’ salaries to reflect the recently implemented PAT and the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations at the national level.

The association recalled the governor’s earlier promise to review salaries in the state and said its implementation would help address the movement of healthcare workers from state-owned facilities to federal tertiary institutions within and outside Bauchi State.

The NMA maintained that improved remuneration, functional healthcare infrastructure, safe working environments and opportunities for professional advancement were essential to building a sustainable health system.

It added that securing the future of medicine in Nigeria required a healthcare system capable of protecting doctors’ welfare while ensuring that Nigerians, irrespective of their location or socioeconomic status, had access to quality medical services.

PUNCH Online reports that the Nigerian Medical Association has a lineup of activities across the state, including prayers scheduled from Sunday, October 18, to Friday, October 23, 2026.