Nigeria’s health sector faces collapse as doctors endure overwork, poor pay, and mass migration, deepening a crisis that threatens national survival.
The death of Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a Resident Doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), after a 72-hour shift has reignited debate over Nigeria’s worsening healthcare crisis.
Rotifa, who collapsed in the call room, was the latest victim of what colleagues describe as a system that “sacrifices doctors to keep hospitals afloat.”
Resident doctors across government hospitals work punishing shifts, often 24 to 72 hours, while earning between ₦230,000 and ₦650,000 monthly. Even Consultants rarely exceed ₦800,000. In contrast, doctors who migrate under the “Japa” trend earn up to ₦50 million annually in the UK, US, Canada, or Australia.
“We save lives every day, but no one saves us,” one resident lamented. NARD President, Dr. Tope Osundara, said members are still owed allowances and salary arrears from 2023, with delayed promotions adding to frustrations.
The toll is evident. With just 24,000 licensed doctors for over 220 million people, Nigeria operates at a ratio of one doctor to 9,000 citizens, far below WHO’s 1:600 standard. Over 15,000 Nigerian doctors have migrated to the UK in the past eight years, depleting already overstretched hospitals.
NMA Vice President, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, described the situation as “a silent epidemic,” warning that saving doctors is key to saving Nigeria’s health system.
Without urgent reforms — better pay, improved conditions, and healthcare funding — the exodus will worsen, leaving patients to pay the ultimate price.