The Kogi State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged governments and hospital administrators to improve doctors’ welfare and working conditions, saying that looking after physicians is essential to a sustainable health system.
State chairman Dr. Mary Onyeche Obari made the appeal during the 2026 Physicians’ Week, held under the theme “Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria.”
“A system that depends on physicians to save lives must also take responsibility for preserving the lives, health and dignity of its physicians,” Obari said.
The week’s first sub-theme, “Saving the Savers,” focused on physician well-being and the prevention of burnout, cardiovascular disease and premature death.
Obari said the pressures of clinical work should not be allowed to damage doctors’ physical and mental health. She said the demands of the job often leave doctors little room for preventive care, adequate sleep, exercise and timely medical checkups.
“Burnout should not be mistaken for dedication,” she said. “A physician’s suffering should not have to become a tragedy before it receives attention.”
She called for adequate staffing, reasonable duty schedules, protected rest periods, prompt payment of salaries and entitlements, confidential mental-health support and protection from workplace violence. She also backed regular preventive medical assessments and a workplace culture in which doctors can seek help without stigma.
The second sub-theme, “Transforming Medicine,” addressed digital health, innovation and medical education.
Obari said artificial intelligence, telemedicine and electronic medical records could help overcome geographic barriers, strengthen referrals and extend specialist services to underserved communities. She said Kogi State should take advantage of such tools.
She cautioned, however, that digital transformation would fall short without investment in infrastructure and training. “We cannot demand digital competence without providing the infrastructure, training and resources required to develop it,” she said.
She called for more spending on reliable digital infrastructure, continuing medical education, secure health information systems and responsible use of AI. She also called for updated medical curricula.
Technology, she said, should complement rather than replace the doctor-patient relationship. “Human judgment, empathy, accountability and professional ethics must remain central to medicine,” she said.
Obari asked the Kogi State and federal governments, hospital administrators and other stakeholders to work more closely with the association. She acknowledged the complexity of healthcare administration and the competing demands on public funds.
She urged authorities to settle outstanding entitlements promptly, improve human-resource planning and invest in modern facilities. She also asked hospital managers to set up staff-welfare programs and involve physicians in decisions that affect their working conditions and patient care.
“We cannot continue to applaud physicians for their sacrifices while ignoring the circumstances that make those sacrifices unnecessarily costly,” she said.
She said the week’s significance should extend beyond speeches and ceremonies to tangible improvements for doctors.
Obari also commended Kogi State Gov. Usman Ododo and Health Commissioner Dr. Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza for what she described as notable achievements in the state’s health sector. She said the association would support the administration’s efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
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