JAPA CRISIS: NMA PRESSURES FG TO RAISE DOCTORS RETIREMENT AGE TO 65 TO SAVE COLLAPSING HEALTH SECTOR
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–THE Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on the Federal Government to urgently implement the 65-year retirement age for clinical health workers as a stop-gap to Nigeria’s worsening health workforce crisis.
The Association said the move would serve as a critical palliative to stem the tide of manpower shortage and mass migration of doctors.
NMA President, Prof. Afekhide-Ernest Omoti, made the call at a press conference marking the end of the Association’s 2026 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Friday, August 28, 2026.
Omoti expressed concern over the continued delay in implementing the new retirement age, noting that at a time Nigeria is battling acute shortage of skilled healthcare professionals due to Japa syndrome and other factors, retaining experienced clinicians is non-negotiable.
According to the NMA president, implementing the retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers will provide an important palliative measure, as Nigeria continues to address the broader challenge of healthcare workforce shortages and migration.
Omoti said the NEC also expressed concern over the poor state of road infrastructure across the country, stressing that the bad roads had serious implications for healthcare delivery.
Omoti said: “They delay patients seeking emergency care, impede referrals, affect the transportation of medicines and medical supplies and make it difficult for healthcare workers to reach underserved communities.
“The NMA, therefore, calls on government at all levels to urgently priorities the rehabilitation, construction and maintenance of roads leading to healthcare facilities, particularly in the rural and underserved communities.”
He urged the government to recognise road infrastructure as an essential component of healthcare delivery and a critical determinant of health outcomes.
The NMA president also spoke about the increasing prevalence of drug and substance abuse among Nigerian youths and its consequences for mental health, families, communities, and the nation’s productive workforce.
He said NMA considered it a growing public health emergency requiring a coordinated national response, while calling on the federal government to declare drug and substance abuse among Nigerian youths, a national public health priority.
Omoti added that the government should strengthen prevention programmes, improve public enlightenment, regulate access to harmful substances, and expand mental health and addiction treatment services at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of healthcare.
The NMA boss also called for greater collaboration among the Ministries, Departments and Agencies responsible for health, education, youth development, security and social welfare in tackling this challenge.
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