Nigerian general and teaching hospitals are facing an imminent shutdown following the alarming cases of medical personnel shortages coming in the wake of their migration to other countries for greener pasture.
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) said shortage of medics across the country was on the rise coupled with government’s failure to recruit has put many public hospitals in jeopardy. Already, the Behavioral Science/Psychiatry ward at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile Ife, Osun State, has been shutdown due to lack of manpower.
Also, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has shut down five wards comprising 150 beds.
“As of now, a section of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), the Behavioral Science/Psychiatry, has been shut. According to latest figures from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), there is one doctor to 10,000 patients in Nigeria against the recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) of one doctor to 600 patients,” NARD president, Dr. Dele Abdullahi told the Guardian.
“I can tell you that it has got worse. Doctors are leaving the country on a daily basis. The situation has resulted in massive burnout of doctors nationwide. NARD is compiling work on ideal manpower that the country needs. Between January and July 2023, 900 doctors left the country and another 900 say they want to leave.
“We request for ‘one replace one’ policy. The idea is to maintain even the sub-optimal level we were before now. We are hoping that the Federal Government can look at this policy. It is not just about the shortage of doctors in LUTH, but in Lagos. How many doctors do we have in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja? They are insufficient. There is no health institution in Nigeria that can say they have sufficient manpower.”
