Nigerian Medical Association Reveals Only 1,300 Doctors Available For 20M Residents In Kano State

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has disclosed that there are only 1,300 doctors available for more than 20 million residents in Kano State, located in northern Nigeria.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there should be one doctor for 600 residents. Whereas, Kano State has a ratio of one doctor for 11,500 residents.

Abdullahi Suleiman, who serves as the chairman of NMA, called it a "scary" situation during a Monday press conference to mark the 2023 Physicians' Week in Kano at the NMA House.

"The dearth of doctors is like a patient bleeding profusely – meaning that Nigeria is bleeding healthcare personnel – the blood is leaving the body of Nigeria and when the blood leaves the body you know what happens (then the patient will die)," he was quoted as saying by PremiumTimes.

He went on to explain that not only doctors but even healthcare workers are leaving Nigeria and moving to other locations - like Gambia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Saudi Arabia - for work.

The NMA chairman pointed out that "records show that we have only 1,300 doctors for a population of over 20 million people," which is "very scary" and the government must take "deliberate steps to maintain doctors and other healthcare workers in the system."

Suleiman further shared that the Tinubu-led administration need to retain the workforce because a "healthy nation is a wealthy nation."

He noted that the Physicians' Week was under the theme of "This is Our Chance to Get It Right in the Health Sector" with a sub-theme of "The Abuja Declaration – 22 years after and Ethical issues in human donation."

Suleiman noted that this year's theme deeply resonates with the current state of healthcare in the country, adding that it underscores the urgency of addressing the challenges, including shortage of medical professionals, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to quality healthcare, insufficient funding, and poor enumeration.

"This shortage is mainly brought about by the increasing number of doctors and other healthcare workers leaving the country with those left behind bearing the brunt in the form of overwork, exhaustion, and burnout in a nonconductive working environment," he added.

Suleiman urged the state government to not only commit at least 15 percent of its annual budgetary allocation to the health sector but also provide additional funds from time to time into the system, whenever required.

"The healthcare sector is the beckrock of any nation, now is the time to bring about the necessary reforms, improvements, and collective efforts to achieve a robust and efficient healthcare that caters to the needs of all Nigerians," he added.