NMA Lagos urges Governor Sanwo-Olu to raise doctors’ retirement age to 65, warning of healthcare collapse amid doctor shortage and rising brain drain

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State branch, has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to urgently approve the extension of the retirement age for health workers from 60 to 65 years, warning that the state’s healthcare system faces a looming collapse due to an accelerating exodus of medical professionals.

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In a strongly worded letter dated June 5, 2025, signed by the NMA Lagos Chairman, Dr Babajide Saheed, and Deputy Secretary, Dr Olusola Soyinka, the association described the personnel gap in the health sector as a “healthcare emergency.”

The doctors’ call follows President Bola Tinubu’s recent approval of a similar policy for federal health workers. The NMA urged Lagos to “domesticate” the decision and implement it without delay.

“Lagos currently has about 7,000 doctors catering to an estimated 30 million residents,” said Dr Saheed in an interview. “The ratio is dangerously low, and as more professionals leave the country, we are stretched beyond capacity.”

He noted that while infrastructure can be developed, the real crisis lies in human capital. “If the government does not retain those who are still here, the system will collapse.”

The association condemned the current policy which forces doctors to retire at age 60, describing it as counterproductive.

“At 60, doctors are at their most experienced. Retiring them at that point and re-engaging them as contract staff under limiting conditions erodes their dignity and usefulness,” Saheed argued.

The NMA also criticised the practice of increasing medical school admissions without fixing the structural problems driving medical professionals abroad.

“Training more students while ignoring poor welfare, high stress levels, and inadequate infrastructure is like pouring water into a leaking bucket,” Saheed said.

If the government does not retain those who are still here, the system will collapse.

The doctors highlighted inconsistencies in the state’s approach to public service, pointing out that Lagos had already extended the retirement age for teachers, lecturers, and judges.

“Healthcare workers should not be excluded from this progressive policy,” the letter stated.

In addition to the retirement issue, the NMA raised alarm over the growing number of young doctors unable to secure one-year mandatory internship placements.

According to Saheed, “Doctors have been roaming for over a year—some close to two—because there are not enough accredited hospitals to absorb them. It’s a ticking time bomb.”

While Lagos has expanded internship access at some general hospitals, including Gbagada General Hospital, LUTH, and FMC Ebute Metta, capacity remains limited.

“Many of these centres can only take 20 to 30 interns at a time. The math doesn’t work,” he warned.

The NMA described the government’s strategy as uncoordinated and unsustainable, stating that after six years of intensive training, young doctors are left to “scramble for internship slots like beggars.”

The group called on both federal and state governments, as well as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, to prioritise the expansion and accreditation of internship facilities as part of national healthcare and education reform.

Dr Saheed concluded with a warning: “If we don’t fix this bottleneck now, we’ll be losing even more doctors to Japa before they ever get a chance to serve the country.”

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The letter ended with a renewed appeal for Sanwo-Olu to align Lagos policy with the Federal Government’s THEME-PLUS agenda and national healthcare reform efforts.