The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Kwara State
Chapter, has warned that worsening working conditions in the country’s health
sector are fueling a growing mental health crisis among doctors.
Speaking in Ilorin on Tuesday at a press conference
marking the association’s 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), Chairman Prof.
AbdulRahman Afolabi said doctors are increasingly facing burnout, anxiety,
depression, and even suicide.
He noted that a recent NMA survey revealed widespread
mental health challenges among Nigerian doctors, with many lacking access to
professional support and discouraged from seeking help due to stigma.
“Doctors are on the frontlines of care but face
overwhelming stressors such as long working hours, high patient loads, poor
pay, inadequate infrastructure, workplace insecurity, and violence,” Afolabi
said. “These conditions have created an urgent mental health crisis that
requires national attention.”
The AGM, themed “Medicine and Entrepreneurship”
with the sub-theme “Mental Health and Well-being of Doctors in Nigeria:
Importance of Mental Health”, seeks to highlight systemic reforms needed in
the sector.
Afolabi called for confidential counselling services,
wellness programmes, safer work environments, and a stronger commitment from
government and healthcare institutions to protect doctors’ mental well-being.
“A healthy doctor is essential to a healthy
population. This is not just a professional matter but a critical public health
issue,” he stressed.
He urged policymakers, healthcare institutions, and
the public to invest in doctors’ mental health, adding that the AGM will review
achievements and address pressing challenges facing the medical profession and
Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Comments:
Leave a Reply