Psychiatrist and Medical Director of Pinnacle Medical Service, Dr Maymunah Kadiri, has called for healthier workplaces for Nigerian healthcare workers, warning that heavy workloads, long hours, financial pressures and inadequate support are contributing to stress and burnout in the profession.
Kadiri made the call on Wednesday at the 2026 Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (ARD-LUTH), held at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. The conference, themed “The Healers Need Healing: Addressing Workplace Stress and Mental Challenges Among Health Workers in Nigeria,” focused on the mental health challenges affecting healthcare workers and the need for better workplace support.
Speaking at the event, Kadiri said healthcare workers were often good at recognising patients’ suffering but sometimes failed to notice when their own mental and emotional health was deteriorating.
She said doctors remained human despite their professional responsibilities, adding that dependability could gradually become self-neglect when exhaustion was treated as a badge of honour.
According to her, demanding workloads, shift work, financial pressures, inadequate support and emotional burdens were major contributors to workplace stress and burnout.
Kadiri urged healthcare institutions to create supportive environments where high standards and accountability did not come at the expense of workers’ well-being.
She also advised health workers to seek support, maintain meaningful relationships, exercise regularly, set healthy boundaries and show kindness to colleagues who might be facing unseen struggles.
The Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, represented by the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Rufus Ojewola, said healthcare workers often prioritised patients’ health while neglecting their own well-being.
Adeyemo said medical training and practice were highly stressful, particularly for resident doctors who faced rigorous training and excessive workloads.
“I am happy we are talking about stress, how we can take care of our well-being, which is important. The stress we pass through as medical students cannot be compared with our counterparts,” he said.
He said improving healthcare workers’ well-being was essential to building a healthy workforce and strengthening Nigeria’s health system.
Adeyemo also reaffirmed LUTH’s commitment to staff welfare, noting that eligible members could access research grants ranging from N3 million to N5 million.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State branch, Dr Sharafadeen Okunade, represented by the NMA Vice-Chairman, Dr Moruf Abdulsalam, urged doctors to prioritise their welfare to sustain quality healthcare delivery.
He called on hospital management to provide adequate tools and better working conditions, while advocating mutual respect among management, consultants and resident doctors.
Dr Ime Okon, Medical Director, General Hospital, Apapa, and President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Lagos, said healthcare workers also needed care, rest, compassion and support.
Okon said resident doctors faced demanding workloads, night calls, academic pressures, examinations, emotional encounters and limited resources.
“This topic affects everyone. As you continue to care for others, care for yourself,” she said.
She advocated psychologically safe workplaces, mentorship, peer support, reasonable workloads, adequate rest and accessible mental health services, stressing that doctors’ well-being was essential to patient safety and quality healthcare.
Earlier, the President of ARD-LUTH, Dr Adenuga Omogbolahan, said healthcare workers must prioritise their well-being while providing quality care, stressing that excellence should not come at the cost of their health.
He said the association was exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence in reducing workplace stress, combating burnout and supporting the mental well-being of healthcare workers.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), resident doctors also identified poor working conditions, inadequate facilities, understaffing and limited accommodation as major workplace stressors.
Dr Martins Olawole said inadequate training facilities and limited accommodation were major challenges for resident doctors. He said inadequate mannequins and other training tools also limited hands-on learning and increased the personal cost of training.
Olawole called for increased healthcare funding, improved facilities and better staffing, saying these measures would improve training, reduce workloads, curb brain drain and strengthen healthcare delivery.
Dr Betty Ehis also called for improved facilities, remuneration and working conditions, while urging public officials to experience the realities of Nigeria’s healthcare system to better understand the challenges facing citizens.
Dr Latifat Shittu said understaffing remained a challenge, with the migration of doctors abroad worsening the shortage.
She called for improved salaries, benefits and working conditions, saying these would help reduce doctors’ migration, ease workload and fatigue, and improve their overall well-being.
