The Academy of Medical Sciences (ACADMEDS) has called on the Federal Government to urgently address Nigeria’s critical shortage of healthcare workers and high maternal mortality rate.
The Academy made the call in a communiqué issued after its maiden Biennial Presidential Colloquium, held on July 30 in Lagos.
The colloquium, themed, “Nigeria’s Health at a Crossroad: Confronting Workforce Shortages, Epidemic Risks and Maternal Mortality”, brought together academic leaders, healthcare professionals, policymakers and members of the public.
The communiqué, signed by the President of the Academy, Emeritus Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie, and its Secretary, Prof. Mayowa Owolabi, identified health workforce shortages, maternal mortality, epidemic preparedness and emergency response as major challenges requiring urgent intervention.
The Academy said although Africa bears about 24 per cent of the global disease burden, it has access to only three per cent of the global health workforce.
It noted that more than 70 per cent of practising medical practitioners in Nigeria were concentrated in five urbanised administrative zones — Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Kano and Kaduna — leaving rural communities disproportionately underserved.
It attributed the situation to inadequate remuneration, poor healthcare infrastructure, policy misalignment between the Ministries of Education and Health, and the encouragement of international migration of physicians.
On maternal mortality, the Academy said Nigeria accounts for approximately 28 per cent of global maternal deaths, with severe postpartum haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and obstructed labour among other preventable causes.
It identified poor family planning uptake, inadequate access to skilled birth attendants, poor antenatal care, weak referral systems and high out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure as factors worsening the situation.
The Academy recommended upgrading designated general hospitals nationwide into accredited clinical training centres under the Community-Oriented-Based Medical Education System (COBMES) to increase the production of medical personnel.
It also called for stronger coordination between the Federal Ministries of Health and Education, competitive remuneration for health workers, improved workplace conditions and targeted financing for human resources for health.
On maternal and child healthcare, the Academy recommended scaling up Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC), equitable deployment of certified midwives to underserved areas and improved access to essential maternal and child health services.
It also advocated stronger blood banking systems and the nationwide adoption of the Abiye model of Ondo State, which it said had reduced maternal mortality by 85 per cent.
On epidemic preparedness, the Academy called for predictable, multi-year funding for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), stronger state-level Public Health Emergency Operations Centres, domestic genomic surveillance and decentralised biosafety laboratory networks.
It further recommended the full institutionalisation of a multi-sectoral One Health platform integrating human, animal and environmental health surveillance systems.
The Academy also urged the establishment of an autonomous National Health Emergency Reserve Fund and permanent state-level Rapid Response Teams to facilitate timely responses to health emergencies.
To advance Universal Health Coverage, the Academy called on the Federal Government to progressively increase annual health sector budgetary allocations toward the 15 per cent benchmark established by the 2001 Abuja Declaration.
It also urged the comprehensive implementation of the National Health Act 2014, particularly the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
The Academy recommended establishing a Presidential Oversight and Monitoring Committee to track progress in health workforce expansion, maternal mortality reduction and biosecurity preparedness.
It reaffirmed its readiness to work with federal and state governments and relevant public health institutions to implement the recommendations and strengthen Nigeria’s health system.
