Kehinde Fajobi
The Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of Nigerian teaching hospitals have raised alarms over the mass exodus of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers due to inadequate pay and poor remuneration, despite the federal government’s investment in health infrastructure.
Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, CMD of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and Professor Jesse Abiodun, CMD of University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, expressed their concerns during the 2025 budget defence session before the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions.
Professor Adeyemo described the situation as dire, warning that hospitals could soon become empty if urgent steps are not taken.
“People resign, retire, or not even retire, resign almost every day,” Adeyemo said. “In the next one or two years, we are going to have all our hospitals empty. We need to do something about the remuneration of all the healthcare workers.
“Otherwise, government is putting a lot of money into infrastructure, and we are going to have empty hospitals. The major reason why people leave is for economic reasons. Consultants are earning less than $1,000.”
Highlighting LUTH’s 2024 budget, Adeyemo revealed that out of a total ₦19.2 billion, ₦13.57 billion was allocated for personnel, while only ₦33.2 million was for overhead costs.
He noted that capital project performance stood at just 45%, with many funds still outstanding.
For 2025, he disclosed a proposed budget of ₦32.7 billion, including ₦20.3 billion for personnel, a significant increase from 2024.
At UCH, Professor Abiodun lamented delays in budget fund releases, which he said severely hamper operations. He reported that only 38% of the hospital’s ₦5.59 billion capital appropriation for 2024 had been released, leaving 72% unutilised.
“We were among the last people to be batched for payment, and the payment started coming in this December,” Abiodun said. “We were able to utilise the 38% because we had already done the cash plan before the release.”
For 2025, UCH is proposing ₦4.38 billion for capital expenditure, a reduction from 2024 due to funding constraints.
Abiodun also highlighted the hospital’s growing challenges with electricity bills from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
In his remarks, Hon. Patrick Umoh, Chairman of the House Committee on Health Institutions, urged the CMDs to provide detailed presentations reflecting the realities of their challenges.
“The reality is that you must extract the proposal made by Mr President as it affects your medical centre. It should be part of your budget, your presentation,” Umoh said.
He acknowledged the worsening state of tertiary health institutions and assured that all submissions from teaching hospitals would be reviewed for further deliberations.