Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has warned that poor welfare, prolonged salary disputes and inadequate incentives for medical lecturers are threatening the training of Nigeria’s future doctors and could worsen the country’s healthcare workforce shortage.
The warning was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Monday, where members reviewed ongoing negotiations with the federal government on the welfare, remuneration and conditions of service of medical and dental academics.
According to the communiqué signed by NAMDA president, Dr Nosa Lancy Orhue, and acting secretary-general, Prof. Aniekan Peter, the federal government has failed to conclude negotiations on the renegotiation of the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement since talks stalled on April 9.
The association said the delay has denied its members academic and professorial allowances, including earned academic allowances and excess workload allowances, leading to poor morale among lecturers and increasing the risk of brain drain.
It warned that while the federal government has expressed its desire to increase the number of medical and dental graduates, such efforts would be difficult to achieve without prioritising the welfare of the professionals responsible for training them.
“The desire of the government to increase the number of medical and dental doctors graduating annually, while commendable, is not being aggressively followed up by ensuring that the remuneration and welfare of those to train such graduates are given the priority they deserve,” the communiqué stated.
NAMDA expressed concern that many experienced medical academics are leaving the university system due to poor working conditions, a development it said could negatively affect the quality of medical education and healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
While reaffirming its commitment to dialogue, the association urged the federal government to urgently conclude negotiations and improve the welfare of medical and dental academics to safeguard uninterrupted medical education and strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
