The Nigerian Medical Association has raised the alarm over the rate at which medical practitioners and health workers are leaving Nigeria for overseas.

The NMA General Secretary, Dr Philips Ekpe, in an interview with journalists on Monday, said the NMA could, however, not give a concrete figure because medical doctors and nurses were exiting Nigeria without even informing the medical body. 

Ekpe stated this in the association’s reaction to the Health and Care Worker Visa of the United Kingdom government to Nigerians and other countries since August 2020.

“It is difficult to know the number of people that have left. You can only get that information from statistical or data agencies because it’s not all those nurses and medical doctors that have left that contact Nigerian Medical Association. 

“But, I will say that healthcare personnel are leaving in droves and it’s really terrible. That’s why NMA, Federal Ministry of Health and Labour appeal to National Council Establishment that we should find some ways through policies to improve the welfare of these health workers such as the retirement age plan,” Ekpe said.

He also disclosed that the Nigerian budget for the health sector had not exceeded 6% despite the recommended 15% signed with the United Nations in 2001.

“The recommendation of the percentage of the budget to go to the health sector which the Nigerian government signed with the United Nations in 2001 was 15% but unfortunately Nigeria has never crossed 6%,” Ekpe added. 

The NMA Scribe further said, “It depends on the political will of the Federal government to improve our health system. There are a lot of ways in financing the health sector. About tax, there was a time we discussed that beverages and sugar which cause diabetes, the companies producing them should be called to pay taxes, and also smoking tobacco and others causing lung cancer, they can place taxes on these commodities. 

“These are health burdens; we think there should be a percentage that should be provided to fund the health sector.”