Kwara doctors are among the least paid in Nigeria. The state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association said so on Monday. The chairman, Dr Suleiman Rotimi, spoke in Ilorin. He addressed a news conference for the 2026 Physician’s Week. The theme was “Securing The Future of Medicine in Nigeria.” He raised concerns about manpower shortages, poor welfare and unauthorised salary deductions.
Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is among the worst globally. The NMA puts it at one doctor to over 9,000 patients. The World Health Organization recommends one to 600. The gap has widened with emigration. About 16,000 doctors left Nigeria in five years. Kwara is worse than the national average. Some general hospitals have only a few doctors. They work long hours. Burnout is common. Successive governments have promised to fix welfare. The promises rarely survive budget cycles.
Rotimi said doctors are underpaid, overworked and over-deducted. “Some doctors have between ₦30,000 and ₦50,000 deducted from their monthly salaries, despite unpaid allowances and poor remuneration,” he said. He said doctors in the state earn less than their peers elsewhere. The association has engaged the state government. Dialogue continues. An industrial dispute is ongoing. “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers,” he said. “The patients are the ones suffering.”
He called for mental health support, confidential medical services and safer workplaces. He urged protection against violence. Doctors should seek help without stigma. He advocated telemedicine, artificial intelligence and robotics. He said technology could reach underserved communities. He called for better pay, training and infrastructure. That would reduce migration abroad.
The conference included scientific sessions and an NMA charity day. The message was clear. Kwara’s doctors are struggling. The system is failing. Patients bear the cost.
Winners: The NMA, which gains a platform. Doctors elsewhere, who see their conditions highlighted by comparison. Losers: Kwara doctors, who face pay cuts and burnout. Patients, who face long waits and thin staffing. The state government, whose welfare record is challenged. The health system, which loses doctors to emigration. Taxpayers, if care quality declines.
Bottom Line: Kwara doctors are underpaid and over-deducted. Some lose up to ₦50,000 monthly. The ratio is one doctor to 9,000 patients. The state must act. Patients are suffering. The doctors are leaving.