NextFin news, On October 20-21, 2025, the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) publicly urged the federal and state governments of Nigeria to undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s healthcare policy and delivery system. This call was made during the commencement of the 2025 Physicians’ Week at the NMA Lagos secretariat in Surulere, Lagos. Dr. Babajide Kehinde Saheed, the State Chairman of NMA Lagos, highlighted the theme for this year’s event, “Healthcare as a Value Chain: Building Efficiency from Policy to Patient,” underscoring the urgent need to strengthen every link in the healthcare delivery process—from policy formulation to patient care.
Dr. Saheed emphasized that Nigeria’s healthcare system continues to suffer from inefficiencies, poor funding, neglect, and brain drain, which collectively cripple service delivery across the healthcare value chain. Despite numerous health sector policies and reforms, the system remains burdened by dependence on imported drugs, weak infrastructure, inadequate funding below the 15% Abuja Declaration target, and poor welfare for healthcare workers. The NMA called for urgent health sector summits to review and realign existing policies with current realities, improve remuneration and working conditions for medical professionals, and implement structured leadership tenures in hospital administration.
Additionally, the NMA raised concerns about the ongoing exodus of skilled health workers, warning that without motivated and adequately supported personnel, Nigeria’s health security is at risk. The association also highlighted the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, cautioning against ethical pitfalls and advocating for physician literacy in AI to ensure technology supports rather than replaces human judgment.
These developments come amid a backdrop of systemic challenges: hospitals are underfunded, doctors are overworked—sometimes attending to over 10,000 patients each—and infrastructure remains obsolete. The NMA’s demands include full payment of outstanding arrears, provision of call-duty meals in tertiary hospitals, and a review of the 2006 Lagos State Health Sector Reform Law to address contemporary challenges.
Analyzing the root causes, the persistent underfunding of Nigeria’s health sector is a critical factor. The Abuja Declaration, which recommends allocating at least 15% of the national budget to health, has not been met consistently, resulting in resource constraints that affect infrastructure, drug availability, and workforce welfare. This chronic underinvestment fuels brain drain, as medical professionals seek better opportunities abroad, exacerbating shortages and reducing quality of care.
The fragmented policy environment, characterized by inconsistent and politically driven reforms, further undermines system efficiency. Without coherent, evidence-based policies developed in consultation with healthcare professionals, reforms fail to address operational realities, leading to implementation gaps and inefficiencies at multiple levels of the healthcare value chain.
Moreover, Nigeria’s heavy reliance on imported drugs and medical supplies exposes the health system to supply chain vulnerabilities and inflationary pressures, increasing costs and limiting access. The NMA’s call for local drug manufacturing aligns with broader economic strategies to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce foreign exchange burdens.
The welfare and motivation of healthcare workers are pivotal to system performance. Poor remuneration, delayed payments, and inadequate working conditions demoralize staff and accelerate migration. The NMA’s advocacy for improved pay structures, welfare provisions, and leadership stability aims to create an enabling environment that retains talent and enhances productivity.
Looking forward, the integration of AI in healthcare presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI can improve diagnostics, patient monitoring, and operational efficiency, ethical concerns around fairness, privacy, and accountability must be addressed through robust regulatory frameworks and physician training. Nigeria’s limited expertise and regulatory capacity in this domain necessitate proactive policy development to harness AI’s benefits responsibly.
In conclusion, the NMA’s urgent call for a systemic overhaul reflects deep-seated structural issues in Nigeria’s healthcare system. Addressing these requires strong political will, sustainable financing, inclusive policy-making, and strategic investments in infrastructure and human capital. Failure to act risks further deterioration of health outcomes and increased brain drain, undermining national health security. Conversely, coherent reforms aligned with global best practices could transform Nigeria’s healthcare delivery, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to broader socio-economic development.
According to The Nation Newspaper, the NMA’s advocacy highlights a critical juncture for Nigeria’s health sector, emphasizing that only through coordinated efforts from policy to patient can efficiency and quality care be realized.
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