Reps move to raise retirement age of doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill seeking to retain healthcare workers in their roles for a longer period amid ongoing brain drain challenges facing the healthcare sector in the industry.

Sponsored by Wale Hammed (APC, Lagos), the bill proposes to increase the retirement age for healthcare professionals from 60 to 65 and extend the maximum years of service from 35 to 40, depending on which milestone is reached first.

The scaled second reading on Thursday following a debate on its general principles.

Leading the debate on the bill, Mr Hammed said the healthcare sector is grappling with a mass migration of workers and the retirement of experienced personnel.

He noted that, while the government cannot prevent workers from moving overseas, it can retain the experienced hands.

“What we refer to as the ‘japa syndrome’ affects the healthcare sector the most. Staff and personnel in the healthcare sector are being depleted. The second factor is retirement through the public sector rules.

“We cannot stop ‘japa’ because of fundamental human rights. This bill seeks to extend healthcare personnel service years from 60 to 65 years, and from 35 to 40 years, whichever comes first,” he said.

Opposing the bill, Mark Essiet (PDP, Akwa Ibom) argued that thousands of unemployed healthcare workers need jobs, and the extension of the stay of those in service could deny them the opportunity to work.

He cited the example of a recent job advert by a Federal Medical Centre (FMC), where one million applicants applied for just 100 available roles.

“I want to oppose the idea and the reasons given for it. Two weeks ago, there was an advert by a Federal Medical Centre here looking for healthcare workers. They needed around 100 workers, but over a million Nigerians applied.

“We have thousands of qualified healthcare personnel roaming the streets looking for jobs. If we increase the retirement age, others will miss the opportunity to advance,” the Akwa Ibom lawmaker said.

Mr Essiet’s statement was countered by Mohammed Anka (PDP, Zamfara), who argued that specialised workers are different from non-specialised workers.

He added that many tertiary hospitals have vacancies and that retired medical consultants are highly sought after by private hospitals.

“I am making this contribution based on experience. I am a health economist and have worked in the Ministry of Health. I urge my colleagues to distinguish between specialised and non-specialised labour.

“Today, judges’ tenures have been extended. If you go to FMCs, there are many vacancies for consultants. They had to retain those who had retired. Those who are retiring now are awaiting employment from external agencies because they know their worth. As soon as a consultant retires, they are likely to receive new job offers,” he said.

The bill was passed despite opposition from some members, as the “ayes” had it when it was put to a vote by Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu, who presided.

It was subsequently referred to the House Committee on Healthcare Services.

Japa syndrome

Data have shown that over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the UK between 2015 and 2022.

According to data documented by the Development Research and Project Centre (dRPC), 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK in 2015; the number increased to 279 in 2016 and in 2017 it rose to 475, in 2018. The figure surged to 852, in 2019 and it jumped to 1,347. The number declined a bit to 833 in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic year but rose to 932 in 2021.

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As of July 2023, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Emeka Orji, revealed that the association is left with only a few over 9,000 medical doctors, due to the brain drain crisis in the healthcare system.

The continued emigration of health practitioners has led to a shortage of skilled health workers in the country, which has negatively affected the quality of healthcare services provided to the citizens.