The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent agreement to deploy Nigerian healthcare professionals, teachers, and agriculturists to Saint Lucia, calling it a “troubling contradiction.”
In a statement issued Thursday, NMA Secretary-General Dr. Ben Egbo condemned the move as an attempt to enhance Nigeria’s international image at the expense of local doctors who are overworked and underpaid. He noted that many Nigerian doctors continue to face poor remuneration, unpaid allowances, and hazardous working conditions.
“Many of our colleagues have been driven out of the country by chronic neglect and a lack of support,” Egbo said, warning that the policy could worsen the ongoing brain drain in the health sector. He described it as “morally unjustifiable” to send doctors abroad and pay them significantly more than they earn at home.
While expressing support for international cooperation, the NMA urged the government to first address systemic challenges facing the health sector before deploying manpower abroad.
