The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has criticized the Federal Government’s recent deal to send Nigerian doctors and other health workers to Saint Lucia, calling it a contradiction and unacceptable.
On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu signed an agreement to deploy skilled manpower to Saint Lucia, including teachers, medical professionals, and agriculturists, to the Caribbean nation.
This reaction came just a day after the NMA gave the government a 21-day deadline to address long-standing issues related to doctors’ welfare.
“This announcement comes at a time when Nigerian doctors are grappling with systemic neglect, poor salaries, withheld allowances, and the release of a controversial salary circular that undermines their welfare and professional dignity,” said in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Benjamin Egbo, and posted on X on Thursday.
NMA flags alarming pay gap
The NMA expressed outrage over the glaring disparity in remuneration. It revealed that Nigerian doctors under the Saint Lucia arrangement are expected to earn N40.8 million annually, paid by the Nigerian government, while doctors serving locally in Nigeria currently receive only N11.9 million per annum.
For comparison, the NMA noted that the government of Saint Lucia pays its own doctors N131.7 million annually, further underscoring the inequity in the proposed deployment scheme.
Egbo described the government’s move as “a deeply troubling contradiction” and an attempt to boost Nigeria’s international image while failing to meet the basic obligations owed to doctors at home who are toiling hard to serve Nigeria.
“We remind the Federal Government that Nigerian doctors have been suffering while working and serving Nigerians.
“Many doctors leaving the country due to Poor remuneration; Chronic delays in payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF); non-implementation of previously negotiated welfare packages and agreements; Hazardous working conditions without commensurate risk allowances; Lack of universal implementation of the CONMESS salary structure for many of the doctors, “Egbo said.
Impact of neglect: burnout and brain drain
He added that these challenges have overburdened the doctors left behind, leading to burnout, stress, chronic diseases, and even death, which invariably increases morbidity and mortality among Nigerians.
Egbo recalled that on July 2, 2025, the NMA issued a press release demanding that the government address its grievances within a 21-day window.
NMA’s demands to the government
According to him, the association is requesting that the government: Withdraw and replace the misleading NSIWC circular, Honour all outstanding collective bargaining agreements, Resolve outstanding allowances and correct distortions in the pay structure, Protect the professional autonomy and dignity of Nigerian doctors
“While the NMA supports regional cooperation and international engagement, it is morally unjustifiable to export healthcare workers to foreign countries and pay them five times higher than they earned while serving in Nigeria,” he said.
Egbo warned that such actions only fuel brain drain and deepen the country’s healthcare crisis.
He attached a salary comparison table showing that doctors in Saint Lucia are paid significantly more than their counterparts in Nigeria.
