Only 1,300 Doctors attending to 15 million residents in Kano state

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kano State Chapter has disclosed that only 1,300 medical Doctors are in their record of active service in the state, which is estimated population of over 15 million people.

Penpushing reports that chairman of the association, Dr Abdullahi Suleiman, made this known at a press conference to mark the 2023 Physicians’ Week in Kano at the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA) House in Kano.

The Chairman added that Medical Doctors and other healthcare workers are exiting the state in droves, and advised the Nigerian government, at all level as well as  other relevant authorities to address the worsening brain drain in the healthcare workers.

‘The situation is scary; the dearth of doctors is like a patient bleeding profusely – meaning that Nigeria is bleeding healthcare personnel – the blood is leaving the body of Nigeria and when the blood leaves the body you know what happens (then the patient will die)’, he said

‘Our records show that we have only 1,300 doctors for a population of over 20 million people. It’s very bad and this is across almost all healthcare workers not only doctors. People are leaving for Gambia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Saudi Arabia every day’, Suleiman stated.

‘This is very scary, the government of the day must take deliberate steps to maintain people (doctors and other healthcare workers) in the system, we have to retain our workforce because a healthy nation is a wealthy nation’, he said.

Penpushing further reports that he explained that this year’s celebration of the Physicians’ Week was themed “This is Our Chance to get it Right in the Health Sector,” with subthemes “The Abuja Declaration – 22 years after and Ethical issues in human donation” to further enrich discussion of the challenges being faced in the health sector.

‘The themes resonate deeply with the current state of healthcare in Nigeria. It underscores the urgency of addressing the challenges we (medical professionals) face, including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to quality healthcare, insufficient funding, poor enumeration, and a shortage of medical professionals.

‘This shortage is mainly brought about by the increasing number of doctors and other healthcare workers leaving the country with those left behind bearing the brunt in the form of overwork, exhaustion and burnout in a nonconductive working environment’, Suleiman said.

Penpushing also reports that he said the Abuja Declaration was not just about urging state governments to commit at least 15 per cent of their annual budgetary allocation to the health sector but to also ensure timely releases of funds into the system.

‘The healthcare sector is the beckrock of any nation, now is the time to bring about the necessary reforms, improvements, and collective efforts to achieve a robust and efficient healthcare that caters to the needs of all Nigerians’.

‘We call on the Kano state to employ the needed healthcare workers and provide them with the condition of service and environment to function effectively to keep them in the system’, Suleiman added.

‘The Abuja Declaration is a crucial commitment that obliges African governments, including Nigeria, to allocate 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector. This funding will help us move towards the achievement of universal health coverage for all’.

‘Over two decades has passed since this commitment was made, and Nigerian authorities must reflect on their progress in meeting this commitment. We are gladdened by the progress being made in Kano State and encourage the government to not only budget the 15 per cent but to ensure release and utilisation of the funds’, the chairman said.

Penpushing will reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends one Doctor to 600 patients, while the ratio in Kano state according to the number of Doctors the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) those active in the state is roughly one to 11,500 patients.

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