In light of the “deteriorating” working conditions and neglect of medical professionals at home, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to send Nigerian doctors to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean countries as part of a new Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) agreement.
In a statement released on Thursday, July 3, 2025, and signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Benjamin Sichey Egbo, the NMA declared that “exporting doctors while undermining their welfare at home is inexcusable.”
The association claimed that the government’s action “contrayed the reality that many Nigerian doctors are struggling with poor remuneration, unpaid allowances, hazardous working conditions, and widespread burnout” and that it was “deeply concerning and dismayed” by the decision.
The statement read, “This action is a deeply troubling contradiction and an attempt to improve Nigeria’s international reputation while neglecting basic obligations owed to doctors who work hard in the nation,” the statement read.
The NMA claimed that Nigerian doctors had been subject to “chronic delays” in receiving payments from the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), non-application of previously agreed welfare benefits, and inconsistent use of the CONMESS salary structure.
These issues, according to the association, have resulted in a large emigration of doctors, exaggerated workloads for those who remain, rising stress levels, and even preventable deaths, all of which contribute to the country’s worsening public health outcomes.
The NMA also issued a separate 21-day ultimatum to the government on Wednesday, which included the removal of a contentious circular from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the resolution of outstanding allowances, and respect for Nigerian doctors’ professional autonomy.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) praised the government’s commitment to international cooperation and regional development while claiming that it is “morally unjustifiable” to export healthcare workers while paying them significantly more than their domestic counterparts.
The association attracted attention to the alarming wage disparity between Nigerian doctors working in the country and those who are deployed abroad.
The Saint Lucian government pays its highest-paying doctors $111.7 million annually, according to the NMA. In contrast, the Nigerian government pays the country 40.8% of its annual salary to doctors who are deployed to Saint Lucia as a result of the Technical Manpower Assistance Agreement.
Meanwhile, doctors in Nigeria only make an average of 11 million annually. While patients endure, we are promoting brain drain. The organization remarked, “It is indefensible.”
Bilateral Agreement
Under a recently signed Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) agreement, the Federal Government made plans to send Nigerian professionals, including doctors, teachers, and agriculturists, to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean nations.
The deal, which was signed in Castries, Saint Lucia, is a part of President Bola Tinubu’s wider international strategy to promote South-South cooperation and foster a sense of belonging among the African diaspora in the Caribbean.
Janelle Modeste-Stephen, acting Permanent Secretary at Saint Lucia’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Yusuf Buba Yakub, director-general of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC), signed on behalf of the host country.
Yakub praised the agreement as “a great achievement” and said it reflected President Tinubu’s request for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to receive technical assistance.
Nigeria will pay for the two-year deployment under the terms of the agreement, while the host countries will provide lodging and local assistance.
Additionally, according to Yakub, over 300 Nigerian professionals have been stationed in various African and Caribbean nations since August 2023, and more are on schedule to travel to Grenada and Jamaica in the coming days.
The first stop on a two-nation tour of the Caribbean and South America is where President Tinubu is currently making a state visit to Saint Lucia. He made an announcement at a joint session of the Saint Lucian Senate and House of Assembly on Monday that both the United States’ members could use to fund their education in Nigeria. He also proposed a proposed visa waiver for those with diplomatic and official passports.
Source: Channels TV
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