PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved an extension of the retirement age for doctors and other healthcare workers from 60 to 65 years.
The national publicity secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Mannir Bature, announced the development in a statement on Wednesday, February 5, in Lagos, according to News Agency of Nigeria.
The decision followed the Nigerian Medical Association’s (NMA) continued threat to embark on industrial action over the federal government’s failure to fully implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and address other outstanding demands.
Doctors and healthcare workers have repeatedly decried poor remuneration, delays in salary adjustments, and unresolved welfare concerns, which have contributed to the mass exodus of professionals from the country.
Just two weeks ago, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN) raised the alarm over the exodus of medical consultants from Nigeria.
The group said over 1,300 medical consultants migrated from the nation in five years, leaving the country with only 6,000 consultants, serving nearly 220 million people.
Meanwhile, the NMA publicity secretary, stated that the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Muhammad Pate, had been directed to formally present the approval to the Council on Establishment through the Office of the Head of Service for finalisation.
Bature explained that Pate disclosed the decision during a high-level meeting with the NMA president, Bala Audu, alongside key stakeholders in the health sector.
He said discussions at the meeting focused on improvements in the welfare of healthcare professionals in Nigeria, including financial benefits.
According to him, the coordinating minister confirmed that funds for the payment of arrears from the adjustment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure had been secured, with disbursement set to commence soon.
Bature quoted the minister as saying that Tinubu had approved the correction of consequential adjustments for both CONMESS and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, following the implementation of the new minimum wage.
“The process to effect this correction is at an advanced stage, providing much-needed relief to doctors and other healthcare workers,” he said.
Beyond salary adjustments, Bature stated that a review initiated by the NMA had led to the approval of new tariffs for healthcare service providers.
“This will particularly benefit members of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners and Nurses (ANPMPN), ensuring better financial remuneration and sustainability for healthcare services nationwide,” he said.
This latest development was also coming two days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1 billion to strengthen primary healthcare services across the country.
The approval, aimed at boosting the government’s Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme, was announced by the finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun, after the FEC meeting.
Edun said the International Development Association (IDA) provided two concessional loans of $500 million each, with an additional $70 million in grants from other international bodies.
“This programme is very much in line with the direction of this administration – to focus on investing in the human capital of Nigerians. People are at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the minister said.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M