THE RETIREMENT AGE for medical professionals and other healthcare professionals has been raised from 60 to 65 by President Bola Tinubu.
On Wednesday, February 5, in Lagos, Mannir Bature, the national publicity secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), made the announcement, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
In response to the federal government’s refusal to completely implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and meet other unfulfilled demands, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) threatened to go on strike.
Doctors and other healthcare professionals have frequently complained about inadequate pay, delayed compensation adjustments, and unresolved welfare issues, all of which have led to a large-scale professional flight from the nation.
Just two weeks ago, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN) raised the alarm over the exodus of medical consultants from Nigeria.
The group said over 1,300 medical consultants migrated from the nation in five years, leaving the country with only 6,000 consultants, serving nearly 220 million people.
Muhammad Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, has been instructed to formally submit approval to the Council on Establishment via the Office of the Head of Service for finalisation, according to the NMA press secretary.
Bature explained that Pate disclosed the decision during a high-level meeting with the NMA president, Bala Audu, alongside key stakeholders in the health sector.
He said discussions at the meeting focused on improvements in the welfare of healthcare professionals in Nigeria, including financial benefits.
According to him, the coordinating minister confirmed that funds for the payment of arrears from the adjustment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure had been secured, with disbursement set to commence soon.
Bature quoted the minister as saying that Tinubu had approved the correction of consequential adjustments for both CONMESS and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, following the implementation of the new minimum wage.
“The process to effect this correction is at an advanced stage, providing much-needed relief to doctors and other healthcare workers,” he said.
Beyond salary adjustments, Bature stated that a review initiated by the NMA had led to the approval of new tariffs for healthcare service providers.
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“This will particularly benefit members of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners and Nurses (ANPMPN), ensuring better financial remuneration and sustainability for healthcare services nationwide,” he said.
This latest development was also coming two days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1 billion to strengthen primary healthcare services across the country.
The approval, aimed at boosting the government’s Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme, was announced by the finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun, after the FEC meeting.
Edun said the International Development Association (IDA) provided two concessional loans of $500 million each, with an additional $70 million in grants from other international bodies.
“This programme is very much in line with the direction of this administration – to focus on investing in the human capital of Nigerians. People are at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the minister said.
