Health expert Maymunah Kadiri has urged healthcare workers to prioritise their mental health and well-being.

Ms Kadiri is the medical director and psychiatrist-in-chief of Pinnacle Medical Service.

She made this known at the 2026 Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (ARD-LUTH).

The event, with the theme “The Healers Need Healing: Addressing Workplace Stress and Mental Challenges Among Health Workers in Nigeria”, was held at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, on Wednesday.

The psychiatrist said healthcare workers were often skilled at recognising patients’ suffering but sometimes failed to notice deterioration in their own mental and emotional health.

She said doctors remained human in spite of their professional responsibilities, noting that dependability could gradually become self-neglect when exhaustion was worn as a badge of honour.

According to her, demanding workloads, long hours, shift work, financial pressures, inadequate support and emotional burdens contribute significantly to workplace stress and burnout.

Ms Kadiri said struggling resident doctors should not always be considered insufficiently resilient, stressing that workplace environments and systemic challenges could significantly affect their well-being.

“I urge healthcare institutions to discourage bullying and humiliation. High standards, accountability and constructive feedback should never require crushing or intimidating junior colleagues.

“To health workers, seek support, maintain meaningful relationships, exercise regularly, set healthy boundaries and show kindness; your colleagues might be facing unseen struggles,” she said.

She urged consultants and senior doctors not to reproduce the harsh treatment they experienced during training but to correct junior colleagues without humiliating or crushing them.

Wasiu Adeyemo, Chief Medical Director, LUTH, represented by Rufus Ojewola, deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, said healthcare workers often prioritised patients’ health while neglecting their own well-being.

Mr Adeyemo said medical training and practice were highly stressful, particularly for resident doctors, who faced rigorous training, excessive workloads and other workplace challenges.

“I am happy we are talking about stress and how we can take care of our well-being, which is important. The stress we pass through as medical students cannot be compared with our counterparts,” he said.

He said promoting healthcare workers’ well-being was essential to building a healthy workforce and strengthening Nigeria’s health system, adding that discussions would help identify practical solutions.

The CMD reaffirmed LUTH’s commitment to staff welfare, noting that eligible members could access research grants of between N3 million and N5 million.

Also speaking, Sharafadeen Okunade, chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State branch, said doctors must prioritise their welfare and well-being to sustain quality healthcare delivery.

Mr Okunade, represented by Moruf Abdulsalam, NMA vice-chairman, urged hospital management to provide tools and conditions that would make the work environment conducive for healthcare workers.

He advocated mutual respect among management, consultants and resident doctors, saying it would improve the work climate, while practical solutions should emerge from the conference.

Ime Okon, medical mirector, General Hospital, Apapa, and president, Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Lagos, said healthcare workers also needed care, rest, compassion and support.

Ms Okon said resident doctors faced demanding workloads, night calls, academic pressures, examinations, emotional encounters and resource constraints, warning against glorifying exhaustion as commitment.

“This topic affects everyone. As you continue to care for others, care for yourself,” she said.

She advocated psychologically safe workplaces, mentorship, peer support, reasonable workloads, rest and accessible mental-health services, stressing that doctors’ well-being was fundamental to patient safety and quality healthcare.

In his goodwill message, Olatunji Aina, head of department and professor of Psychiatry, CMUL/LUTH, said bullying was not peculiar to medical practice but occurred across different sectors.

Mr Aina, the Father of the Day, said his personal experience as the only psychiatry resident doctor in his institution for four years exposed him to significant workplace pressure.

He urged health workers in positions of authority to reflect on their experiences and use them positively to create supportive and healthier workplaces.

Akinde Olajumoke, director of Nursing Services, LUTH, congratulated the organisers and pledged nurses’ support for the programme, assuring them of continued collaboration.

She said nurses were ready to work with stakeholders to address healthcare workers’ challenges and improve their working environment, while praying for the programme’s success.

Earlier, Adenuga Omogbolahan, president, ARD-LUTH, said healthcare workers must prioritise their wellbeing while providing quality care, stressing that excellence should not come at the cost of health.

He said the association was exploring artificial intelligence’s transformative role in reducing workplace stress, combating burnout and supporting mental wellbeing among healthcare workers.

Commenting on major workplace stressors and the support needed from hospitals and policymakers, some resident doctors shared their expectations.

Martins Olawole identified inadequate training facilities, poor working conditions and limited accommodation as major sources of stress for resident doctors.

He said resident doctors often relied on textbooks and senior colleagues, while inadequate mannequins and other tools limit hands-on training and increase personal training costs.

“The Abuja declaration, I think in 2015, says that a country should budget 15 per cent for healthcare. I am not sure Nigeria is doing up to seven per cent of their budgets.

“When the health care system is well funded, you are able to put in a lot of facilities that would help,” he said.

Mr Olawole urged increased healthcare funding, improved facilities and better staffing, saying these measures would enhance training, reduce workload, curb brain drain and improve healthcare delivery.

Also speaking, Betty Ehis said public officials should experience Nigeria’s healthcare and other public services to better understand citizens’ challenges and drive meaningful improvements in the system.

She said inadequate facilities, poor remuneration and difficult working conditions increased health workers’ stress, urging leaders to share citizens’ experiences to encourage necessary changes.

Latifat Shittu said the hospital was understaffed, although management was making efforts, while doctors’ migration abroad for better opportunities had worsened the shortage.

She said improved salaries, benefits and working conditions would reduce doctors’ migration, ease workload and fatigue and improve their overall wellbeing.

(NAN)