Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has raised an urgent alarm over the severe shortage of medical personnel in the state, calling on the government to deliberately establish at least seven medical training institutions to address the growing workforce gap that is crippling the healthcare system. The association's chairman, Prof. Aniekan Peter, made the appeal on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, while briefing journalists in Uyo as part of activities marking the association's Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, themed "Refocusing our attention for the future of health care for Akwa Ibom".
Peter lamented that the state has consistently failed to meet its employment targets for medical workers, stressing that urgent measures are needed to bridge the shortfall. "If there is vacancies for 100,000 teachers in the state, I'm sure you will find them immediately, but recently the State governor, Umo Eno approved employment for 400 doctors and we couldn't get them. It means that there's something wrong somewhere," he said. He further revealed that when the government sought to recruit 700 nurses, the target could not be met until some criteria were relaxed.
While commending Governor Umo Eno for approving the establishment of a medical school at Akwa Ibom State University, Peter described the initiative as commendable but grossly insufficient. "We appreciate the governor for the approval granted to the Akwa Ibom State University to start doing medicine and other medical courses. But for Akwa Ibom State that is one over four, it's still a failure, just 25%. So we thank the governor for opening the first medical school in the state; other states like Delta already had four," he said.
The NMA chairman argued that the state must begin to see medical education as an investment rather than a burden if it hopes to strengthen its healthcare system. "Medicine is no more a course, it's an empowerment and any state or country that doesn't recognize this will not get it right. If Akwa Ibom wants to be one of the states to be reckoned with, we must see medical education as an empowerment; we must have at least seven medical schools in this state," Peter declared.
He further argued that the state already possesses infrastructure that could be upgraded into medical training institutions, citing general hospitals in Ikot Ekpene and Eket, as well as the Ibom Specialist Hospital, as potential sites for new medical universities. "So that any of our children that wants to read medicine or surgery can have admission and the number that want to be nurses, physiotherapists will not be a problem and by God's grace we can do it," he added.
The doctor shortage in Akwa Ibom is part of a broader national crisis. Nigeria faces an acute shortage of doctors and other health workers, as many prefer to work abroad for better pay and living conditions. The country produces an average of only 3,000 doctors annually, making it difficult to bridge an estimated deficit of nearly 300,000 doctors. In the last five years, 15,000 doctors have left the country for greener pastures abroad. The "Japa" syndrome, as the mass migration of Nigerian-trained health professionals is popularly known, has severely depleted the workforce in states like Akwa Ibom, leaving existing doctors overworked and patients underserved.
Despite the shortage, the Akwa Ibom State Government has taken steps to improve the health sector. Governor Umo Eno declared a state of emergency on healthcare in September 2025 and approved a new salary package that makes Akwa Ibom's healthcare workers the highest paid in Nigeria. The government has also embarked on a recruitment drive for 5,000 health workers and is renovating hospitals across the state. In April 2026, the NMA appealed to the governor to expedite the recruitment process to lessen the burden on existing officers. However, the NMA chairman's latest comments suggest that the shortage of qualified personnel remains a critical bottleneck.
The NMA has also issued ultimatums over welfare concerns. In July 2026, the association issued a five-day ultimatum to the management of St. Luke's Hospital, Anua, in Uyo, over poor pay and failure to remit mandatory association dues, warning that doctors would begin a warning strike if negotiations failed. The association has consistently called for doctors' salaries to be aligned with the CONMESS scale.
Prof. Peter's call for seven medical schools represents a fundamental shift in thinking about healthcare workforce development. Rather than relying on recruitment from other states or abroad, the NMA is arguing for a massive expansion of local training capacity. The theme of the AGM, "Refocusing our attention for the future of health care for Akwa Ibom," reflects a growing recognition that the state cannot achieve universal health coverage without a dramatic increase in the number of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals it produces. The challenge now is whether the state government will heed the call and invest in the long-term solution of expanding medical education, or continue to grapple with a shortage that shows no signs of abating.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments