The West African College of Physicians warned yesterday that Nigeria's health system faces collapse unless authorities urgently strengthen services across all levels. The alarm was raised at a press conference in Ibadan where officials announced the 50th Annual General and Scientific Conference of the college's Nigeria Chapter.
Medical professionals are fleeing the country in droves, the college stated, citing poor conditions, inadequate funding, weak governance and inability to retain skilled workers. The migration threatens to worsen service delivery and pile more pressure on hospitals already stretched beyond capacity.
Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, chairman of Nigeria's WACP chapter and vice president of the college, said restrictive government policies won't stop the exodus.
Instead, authorities must make medical practice locally attractive, functional and sustainable, he told reporters.
Uzochukwu acknowledged that artificial intelligence increasingly helps doctors with diagnosis in modern medicine. However, he stressed it cannot replicate human empathy and clinical judgment needed in patient care.
"We should not rely solely on artificial intelligence," he said. "We must combine it with human intelligence."
He explained that while AI assists with diagnosis, it falls short during patient management. "Artificial intelligence will not say, 'I'm sorry,'" he noted.
"However, a clinician's empathy can help address the social aspects of a patient's problem by saying, 'I'm sorry. How are you doing?' and so on."
Brain drain continues stripping Nigeria's hospitals of experienced specialists, Uzochukwu warned. Inflation has worsened matters by eroding healthcare workers' earnings in real terms.
He criticized past government attempts to curb doctor migration through restrictive measures that blocked access to international training. Such policies proved counterproductive, according to him.
"At one point, the Federal Government introduced a policy that indirectly prevented some doctors from travelling abroad to undertake specialist training," he said. "However, we do not believe that this is the appropriate approach."
To genuinely tackle brain drain, Nigeria must ensure its healthcare infrastructure is sufficient, high-quality and offers competitive pay, Uzochukwu stressed. "If we strengthen our health system, then anyone who visits a health facility will receive appropriate treatment and quality healthcare services," he added.
The college called for urgent budget reforms, demanding that government allocate at least 15 percent of the national budget to health. Current spending sits below 6 percent, officials noted.
Uzochukwu said systemic reforms must prioritize collaboration, innovation and patient-centered care to revitalize the sector.
