The Nasarawa chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has called on the federal and state governments to prioritise the welfare of medical doctors to curtail their migration abroad.

Isa Ohyoma, Nasarawa State chairman of the association, made the call at a press conference on Tuesday in Keffi to commemorate the 2025 Physicians’ Week.

The NMA chairman urged the governments to address the push factors and introduce some pull factors to discourage the “Japa” (migration) syndrome.

He noted that some of the best hands were leaving the country for better welfare overseas, thereby putting more pressure on those who have decided to stay despite the poor welfare.

Mr Ohyoma said the proposed health expenditure of around four per cent in the 2025 national budget and about nine per cent in the budget of Nasarawa State was below the 10 per cent minimum set by the 2001 African Union (AU) Abuja Declaration.

“Health work density of about 1.83 per 1,000 people nationwide is again less than the World Health Organisation recommendation.

“The Nasarawa State government should expedite the takeoff of the proposed specialist hospital in Akwanga, which will go a long way to reduce the work burden on the few doctors propping up the State Healthcare System,” he said.

The chairman also described as unacceptable the situation where women should be losing their lives in an attempt to give birth to another human being.

“Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) hovers around 1,000 in every 100,000 live births. We top the chart along with countries like Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Liberia,” he said.

Mr Ohyoma, however, commended the Nasarawa State government for revitalising 58 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the state.

He also encouraged the state government to continue to strive towards its goal of having at least one revitalised and functional PHC in each of the 147 electoral wards by the end of 2025.

The NMA chair further called on the government and the security agencies to ensure the protection of medical personnel against acts of banditry and kidnapping, among others.

(NAN)