The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has raised concerns over doctors’ burnout, cardiovascular diseases and premature deaths, calling for improved welfare and safer working conditions.

The NMA national president, Afekhide-Ernest Omoti, made the call in his address to mark the 2026 Physicians’ Week, with the theme, “Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria”.

Mr Omoti, represented by George Ebong, chairman of NMA-FCT, said doctors’ wellbeing was essential to patient safety and effective healthcare delivery.

He attributed physicians’ health risks to excessive working hours, occupational stress, inadequate staffing, poor remuneration, delayed entitlements and unsafe working environments.

“We must change the culture of silence around physicians’ wellbeing. Doctors must be allowed to be human. We must talk openly about burnout and encourage preventive healthcare among physicians,” he said.

Mr Omoti urged doctors to undergo regular medical checks, maintain healthy lifestyles, get adequate rest and seek confidential professional and psychological support.

“A health system that saves everyone except its doctors is not sustainable. Saving the savers must therefore become a national priority,” he said.

The NMA president also expressed concern over threats, intimidation and assaults against healthcare workers, urging the government, hospital administrators and security agencies to ensure safer workplaces.

On doctors’ migration, Mr Omoti said competitive remuneration, decent working conditions, professional dignity, security and career development were essential to retaining medical professionals.

He urged the government to offer internationally competitive salaries and engage Nigerian doctors in the diaspora through research, investment, professional collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

On medical education, he called for the integration of digital health, artificial intelligence, data science and telemedicine into training while upholding professional ethics, patient confidentiality and the human aspect of healthcare.

He said artificial intelligence could support diagnosis, clinical decisions, research and education, but called for ethical and regulatory frameworks to ensure its responsible use and prevent inequalities in healthcare access.

Mr Omoti reaffirmed the NMA’s commitment to doctors’ welfare, ethical practice and improved healthcare outcomes, urging unity among members to strengthen the association’s advocacy.

Also speaking, Omeke Chigozie, vice chairman of NMA-FCT and chairman of the local organising committee for the week, said the FCT chapter had recorded at least five cases of sudden deaths among doctors in the past 10 years.

Mr Chigozie said the cases, involving young, middle-aged and elderly doctors, highlighted the need to investigate their causes and address risks to physicians’ physical and mental health.

“If the doctor is fine, the patient is fine. A doctor that is challenged health-wise, be it physical or mental, cannot give the best,” he said.

He said activities for the week included visits to orphanages, free medical counselling and treatment, engagement with senior doctors, and a medical outreach in Kusape community, FCT, to provide basic health screenings and identify patients needing further care.

The week’s activities also feature discussions on burnout prevention, cardiovascular disease, digital health and medical education.

 (NAN)