The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the Federal Government to urgently implement the 65-year retirement age for clinical health workers, saying the move would help address Nigeria’s shortage of skilled healthcare professionals and reduce the impact of workforce migration.
NMA President, Prof. Afekhide-Ernest Omoti, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, while presenting the outcome of the association’s 2026 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. He said retaining experienced clinicians in the health system had become essential as Nigeria continued to lose skilled healthcare professionals to migration and other factors.
Omoti said the NEC reiterated its concern over the delay in implementing the retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers.
According to him, extending the retirement age would provide an important palliative measure as the country continues to address the broader challenges of healthcare workforce shortages and migration.
He said retaining experienced medical professionals would help strengthen the health workforce and ensure that their skills and experience continued to benefit the healthcare system.
The NMA president also expressed concern over the continued failure to implement appropriate tax relief measures for essential workers, particularly healthcare professionals.
Omoti said medical practitioners and other healthcare workers provide essential services under demanding and, in some cases, hazardous conditions, including working long hours, responding to emergencies and providing care in underserved communities.
He 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 taxations and heavy electricity tariff burden whose cost may ultimately be transferred to the poor Nigerian patients,” he said.
According to Omoti, 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 delay in addressing the legitimate demands of health workers had contributed significantly to dissatisfaction within the workforce and further encouraged the migration of medical doctors and other health professionals out of Nigeria.
The NMA president also raised concerns over the safety of healthcare workers amid increasing 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.
Omoti appealed to the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to intensify efforts to tackle banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other forms of insecurity across Nigeria.
He also urged the government to strengthen security around healthcare facilities and personnel in vulnerable communities and ensure that every effort was made to secure the release of abducted doctors and other citizens being held in captivity.
The NMA president acknowledged progress made by the government in several areas of healthcare infrastructure and service delivery but said infrastructure development must be matched 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.
