The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State chapter, has called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to urgently approve the implementation of an upward review of the retirement age for healthcare workers from 60 to 65 years, citing the growing exodus of medical professionals.
In a letter signed by the NMA Lagos Chairman, Dr. Saheed Babajide Kehinde, and Deputy Secretary, Dr. Olusola Temiloluwa Soyinka, the association warned that failure to implement the policy could further deplete the state’s already strained healthcare workforce.
The appeal comes on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for the extension of retirement age across the health sector—a directive the NMA says Lagos must domesticate promptly, especially as Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre and a critical hub for healthcare services.
Lagos currently has around 8,000 doctors catering to an estimated population of 30 million, a figure the association described as “grossly inadequate,” especially as brain drain continues to worsen the doctor-to-patient ratio.
“The healthcare system is facing an emergency,” Dr. Kehinde said in an interview. “Infrastructure can be expanded, but without retaining personnel, it will amount to nothing. We are losing our most experienced hands daily, and this policy will help slow the bleeding.”
He lamented that under the current policy, seasoned doctors are forced into retirement at a time when their skills and mentorship are most needed, often returning under contract terms that lack dignity and hinder productivity.
“The same state government that extended retirement ages for teachers, lecturers, and judicial officers should do the same for health workers,” he added.
Kehinde also faulted the strategy of increasing medical school admissions as a standalone solution to the workforce shortage, arguing that unless underlying issues such as poor welfare, limited facilities, and burnout are addressed, newly trained doctors will continue to leave the country in search of better opportunities.
He concluded by urging the Lagos State Government to show political will in implementing the retirement age extension, which he described as a necessary step toward stabilising the healthcare sector and safeguarding the lives of millions of Lagosians.
“The health sector should not be left behind. Lagos is the centre of excellence. If the healthcare system collapses here, it is a reflection of the entire country,” he warned.
The NMA stressed that retaining experienced hands would not only address staffing gaps but also promote mentorship, uphold professional dignity, and reduce the burden of recruiting and training new personnel under duress.
Kehinde also decried the growing crisis facing young medical graduates in securing hospital placements for their mandatory one-year internship, describing the situation as “a ticking time bomb.”
He, noted that despite increasing enrollment in medical schools across the country, there has been no corresponding expansion in the number of accredited hospitals to absorb graduates for internship, a key requirement for their professional licensing.
“Doctors have graduated for over a year, some close to two years, and are still roaming around looking for where to do their internship. It’s becoming a serious problem,” he lamented.
According to him, while Lagos State has made efforts to increase the number of accredited centers—adding a few general hospitals to the previously limited list that included Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC)—the slots available are grossly inadequate compared to the volume of graduates being churned out.
“Many of these centres only take 20 or 30 interns at a time. Yet, every medical school, both public and private, is expanding its student intake. When they graduate, where do they go?” he queried.
Kehinde criticised government planning, saying it is “uncoordinated and unsustainable” to expand training institutions without a structured internship pipeline in place.
“You can’t train a student for six years and then abandon them to scramble for internship slots like they’re begging for jobs,” he said.
He noted that the Doctors are stranded and frustrated. The system is not thinking ahead.”
He warned that unless urgent steps are taken to accredit more hospitals and create structured internship placement systems, Nigeria may witness a further breakdown in healthcare service continuity and even higher rates of brain drain.
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“We are producing doctors we cannot absorb. What message are we sending to these young professionals? That they are not needed?” he asked.
The NMA appeals to federal and state governments, as well as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), to urgently prioritise internship infrastructure and make it a central part of healthcare and education policy.
“If we don’t fix this bottleneck now, we will be losing even more doctors to Japa before they ever get a chance to serve the country,” Kehinde warned.
They urged the Lagos State Government to act swiftly in implementing the policy in line with the Federal Government’s THEME-PLUS agenda and national healthcare reform efforts.
“Let those who have chosen to serve their country be allowed to serve with dignity and retire with honour,” the letter read.