By Atoyebi Nike
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has raised alarm over the mass resignation of doctors from Jigawa State, citing poor remuneration and the government’s delay in implementing a promised salary adjustment.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday in Dutse, the NMA State Chairman, Dr. Usman Haruna, said 30 doctors have left the state’s service since February 2025, worsening an already fragile healthcare system. He described the exodus as a major blow to the sector, warning that the state is losing highly trained professionals to better-paying institutions in neighboring states and federal hospitals.
“Jigawa is losing its best-trained professionals to institutions offering standard CONMESS-based remuneration,” Haruna said. “This hemorrhage of talent threatens the very foundation of our healthcare system.”
Haruna attributed the departures to the prolonged silence of the salary review committee, inaugurated five months ago to harmonize doctors’ pay with the Federal Government’s CONMESS structure and implement hazard and call duty allowances. He said the committee, which was expected to report within two weeks of its inauguration, has failed to submit its findings despite allegedly completing the assignment.
In February, following a meeting with Governor Umar Namadi, the state government had mandated the minimum wage implementation committee to meet with the NMA and propose adjustments. These were meant to correct entry point disparities and address long-standing grievances over allowances. However, the delay in execution has triggered further resignations.
“The failure of the committee to report back undermines the governor’s genuine healthcare efforts,” Haruna added. “We urge the immediate submission of the committee’s report to avert a full collapse.”
Jigawa already suffers from a poor doctor-to-patient ratio, far below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of one doctor per 600 patients. In many rural areas, one doctor covers multiple local governments or entire general hospitals. Reports since 2020 indicate that several Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and General Hospitals operate without any qualified doctors.
The state’s failure to fully implement CONMESS continues to put its medical workforce at a disadvantage compared to states like Kano and Kaduna, where health workers receive competitive pay. Despite repeated calls by the NMA since 2021 for salary reviews and recruitment, little progress has been made.
In 2023, the association warned that hospitals in Jigawa risk collapse without urgent reforms. The current wave of resignations appears to confirm those fears.
