NMA Boss Demands 10-Year Health Emergency

The newly elected President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Afekhide Omoti, has issued a bold ultimatum to the Federal Government: declare a national emergency on the health sector for the next decade or watch it collapse entirely.

Speaking following his election at the association’s 66th Annual General Conference, Omoti argued that Nigeria’s healthcare system has moved past the point of simple reforms and now requires a massive, coordinated rescue mission to save lives and retain what is left of its vanishing workforce.

At the heart of the NMA’s demand is a push for the government to finally honor the “Abuja Declaration” by allocating at least 15 percent of the national budget to health a far cry from the current four to six percent.

Prof. Omoti, an expert in Ophthalmology from the University of Benin, proposed a “Presidential Health-Sector Recovery Task Force” and public scorecards to ensure that every naira spent actually reaches the patients. He stressed that healthcare should be viewed as an economic investment rather than a burden, noting that no nation can achieve security or growth while its citizens suffer in dilapidated hospitals.

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The ongoing “Japa” crisis remains the most visible symptom of this decay. With over 16,000 doctors fleeing the country in just five years and 17,000 others leaving active service, the NMA President warned that Nigeria is essentially exporting its brightest minds out of sheer frustration.

To halt this brain drain, he urged the government to urgently review salaries to match international realities and provide basic incentives like housing, vehicle loans, and hazard protection. Without these changes, he cautioned, the country will continue to build a healthcare system that looks good on paper but has no hands to run it.

Beyond funding and personnel, the state of public hospitals across the federation remains a major concern for the new NMA leadership. Prof. Omoti lamented that many tertiary facilities are currently forced to operate with obsolete equipment and crumbling infrastructure.

As he begins his tenure, he has promised a leadership that is uncompromising on the dignity of medical professionals and the welfare of the Nigerian people. His message to the government is clear: the time for political projects is over; the focus must now shift to human survival.