The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kaduna State Branch, on Monday, raised an alarm over the shortage of medical doctors in the state, saying that presently only 1,600 doctors are licensed to practise, down from about 2000 doctors.
Dr Aisha Mustapha, the state chairman of the association said the declining number of doctors, coupled with insecurity, poor remuneration, professional burnout and inadequate healthcare infrastructure, was threatening effective healthcare delivery.
Speaking during the press conference held on Monday in Kaduna, ahead of the 2026 National Physicians’ Week, themed “Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria,” she further added that Kaduna State had an estimated doctor-to-population ratio of one physician to 6,000 residents, describing the situation as a major challenge requiring urgent intervention.
“The number of doctors currently licensed to practise in Kaduna State is approximately 1,600. We used to have about 2,000, but because of all these challenges, the numbers keep declining,” she said.
The NMA Chairman warned that the declining workforce was increasing pressure on available doctors, making it necessary for the government to strengthen recruitment and retention measures.
She identified poor remuneration, inadequate staffing, limited career progression, insecurity and difficult working conditions as some of the factors discouraging doctors from remaining in the state’s healthcare system.
According to her, improving doctors’ welfare and providing a conducive working environment were essential to reversing the trend.
She also expressed concern over disparities in remuneration between doctors employed by the Kaduna State Government and their counterparts in teaching hospitals, saying the situation had encouraged internal migration within the healthcare system.
She acknowledged efforts by the state government to improve doctors’ remuneration but said more needed to be done to ensure that doctors in general hospitals were not disadvantaged.
She explained that when doctors moved from general hospitals to institutions offering better financial benefits, the facilities they left behind were further weakened by staffing shortages.
Mustapha called for salary harmonisation and improved working conditions to encourage doctors to remain in public hospitals and provide essential medical services to residents.
She also identified insecurity as a major obstacle to retaining doctors, particularly in communities where healthcare workers faced threats to their safety.
“Some of us, even if we get a job in certain hospitals where we would love to work, will not be able to go there because of the insecurity situation in that area,” she said.
According to her, residents in affected communities still needed medical attention despite the security challenges confronting their areas.
She urged the government and security agencies to work together to protect healthcare workers and ensure that hospitals remained accessible to patients.