Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
104.9FM Best rock music demo
-
play_arrow
Demo Radio Nr.1 For New Music And All The Hits!
-
play_arrow
Demo Radio Techno Top Music Radio
-
play_arrow
Police Commissioner Launches Weapon and Riot Control Training for FCT Officers Democracy Radio
Health Ministry Pushes for 70-Year Retirement Age for Consultants
By: Aremu Toyeebaht
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has formally submitted a memo to the Office of the Head of Service seeking to raise the retirement age of medical and dental consultants from 60 to 70 years, in a move aimed at curbing the country’s deepening healthcare workforce shortage.
The development comes months after President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in the retirement age of doctors and other health workers from 60 to 65. However, consultants, under the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), have insisted that 70 years remains the most viable option to stem the exodus of skilled professionals and protect medical training capacity.
MDCAN warned that without urgent action, the nation could lose thousands of senior specialists in the coming years. Data show that 1,594 consultants aged 55 and above are due for retirement by 2029, while 1,056 left Nigeria between 2019 and 2023 for better opportunities abroad.
MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, said that the matter has reached a decisive stage.“We are at the last bus stop of the negotiations. What I mean by that is that the memo has been submitted by the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, to the Office of the Head of Service. So, we are waiting for the next National Council on Establishment to consider and possibly approve. We are still waiting for a date to be fixed by the Office of the Head of Service for the Council on Establishment, possibly in September,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the extension would soon be approved, describing it as critical to bridging Nigeria’s shortage of medical trainers at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Healthcare stakeholders argue that the measure, if implemented, will not only retain scarce expertise but also strengthen medical education and healthcare delivery at a time when Nigeria faces increasing pressure from rising emigration of health professionals.
