Doctors excited as Tinubu extends retirement age

Physicians who are members of the Medical and Dental Consultants' Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Medical Association have praised President Bola Tinubu for raising the retirement age for medical professionals in the nation from 60 to 65.

They contend that the clearance is a positive step that will aid in filling the shortage of health-related human resources in the nation.

On Wednesday, the NMA announced on its website that President Bola Tinubu had authorised raising the retirement age for physicians and other healthcare professionals from 60 to 65 years old. The announcement was signed by Dr. Mannir Bature, the organization's national publicity secretary.

According to the association, Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has been instructed to formally submit the approval to the Council on Establishment via the Office of the Head of Service for finalisation.

According to NMA, this was one of the conclusions of the meeting that Prof. Pate called with the Joint Health Sector Unions, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, and the association on Tuesday in Abuja.

Bature added that the talks focused on the advancements made in Nigeria with relation to the well-being of physicians and other medical professionals.
"The Consolidated Medical Salary Structure modification has resulted in arrears that will soon be paid, the Coordinating Minister said. The required money have been obtained, and beneficiaries will soon start receiving their payments.

"The Minister declared that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has authorised the correction of consequential adjustments resulting from the introduction of the new minimum salary for both CONMESS and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure. Physicians and other healthcare professionals are experiencing much-needed relaxation as a result of the advanced stage of the repair process.

The President has authorised raising the retirement age for physicians and other healthcare professionals from 60 to 65 years old, marking a dramatic change in policy. The Health Minister has been instructed to formally present this approval to the Council on Establishment through the Office of the Head of Service for finalisation,” the news partly read.

It added that following an extensive review initiated by the NMA, approval has been granted for the implementation of new tariffs for healthcare service providers.

It said the initiative will benefit members of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners and Nurses in ensuring better financial remuneration and sustainability for healthcare services nationwide.

“The Coordinating Minister expressed appreciation for the patience and collaboration of all stakeholders and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of all healthcare workers. This, he emphasized, is crucial to strengthening Nigeria’s health sector.
"A renewed commitment from all parties to collaborate in promoting the well-being of healthcare workers and guaranteeing the complete implementation of these important reforms marked the end of the meeting," the statement said.

The raising of the retirement age for healthcare professionals is a positive move, according to NMA President Prof. Bala Audu.

"President Bola Tinubu has raised the retirement age for healthcare workers from 60 to 65, and the process of actualising this will need to go through the civil service process to make it effective," Audu said, quoting Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.

"We are grateful for the Minister's actions. It required a lot of discussion to convince the Ministry of the need, and that that need is actually necessary so that it will benefit Nigerians in terms of the health care delivery. The Minister clearly pointed out that it was not done as an entitlement, but as a necessity. And this is because quite a number of these experienced, highly skilled health professionals will be retiring soon. And we already have a situation where we already have very few health care providers because of the Djaka syndrome.

“By extending the retirement age, we are going to retain these people in the health workforce to continue to deliver high quality health care to Nigerians. But also at the same time, which means over the next five years, those who would have retired this year will still be in service over the next five years. By then, we would have started to retain the increased number of healthcare providers that the government has also put in place so that there will be more training. It’s a win-win situation for the government, for the citizens of Nigeria, and for the health care workers. So, we’re very pleased with it.”

The President of MDCAN, Prof Muhammad Muhammad also said this is a welcome development for the healthcare sector.

Muhammad emphasised that such initiative would significantly contribute to the improvement of healthcare delivery in the country, and address some of the longstanding challenges in the sector.

Meanwhile, on the demand for increase in retirement age to 70 years for hospital Consultants, he said he believes the demand

He explained, “Our position is that the 70 years for consultants is still part of the approval as in our memo and as agreed in both agrement of MDCAN and JOHESU signed in November and October 2024, with the Federal Government of Nigeria respectively.
We reached a deal with the Ministry of Labour that stipulates that medical and dental consultants would be employed for 70 years, while other physicians and co-clinical healthcare workers will be employed for 65 years. Those who are adept at performing tasks directly related to patient care are known as co-clinicals.