The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has sharply criticised the Federal Government’s recent agreement to deploy Nigerian doctors and other professionals to Saint Lucia, calling the move “inexcusable” and out of touch with the dire realities facing the nation’s health sector.
Under a new Technical Manpower Assistance agreement signed in Castries on Wednesday, Nigerian teachers, agriculturists, and medical experts will be deployed to the Caribbean nation for two years.
The deal, aimed at strengthening South-South cooperation and reconnecting with the African diaspora, was formalised by Yusuf Yakub, Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, and Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Acting Permanent Secretary in Saint Lucia’s Ministry of External Affairs.
According to the agreement, the Nigerian government will fund the volunteers’ allowances and logistics, while Saint Lucia will provide accommodation and other local support.
But the NMA, in a strongly worded statement signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Ben Egbo, said the government was failing in its responsibility to medical practitioners at home while attempting to curry international favour.
“This move represents a deeply troubling contradiction,” Egbo stated. “It seeks to polish Nigeria’s global image at the expense of those who have kept its ailing health system afloat under the harshest of conditions.”
The association pointed out stark pay disparities: Nigerian doctors sent to Saint Lucia will earn N40.8 million annually, while their Lucian counterparts reportedly earn N131.7 million per annum.
Meanwhile, doctors working in Nigeria are paid a paltry N11.9 million yearly despite worsening working conditions.
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Egbo warned that such policies could further fuel the brain drain plaguing the Nigerian healthcare system. “We are losing thousands of doctors annually to the Japa syndrome. This decision will only worsen that trend,” he said.
He cited issues such as delayed payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund, chronic underpayment, poor working environments, non-implementation of the CONMESS salary structure, and the denial of agreed-upon welfare packages as key reasons why morale among Nigerian doctors continues to plummet.
“These challenges have led to burnout, serious illnesses, and even death among medical professionals,” the NMA added, stressing that the system is pushing doctors past their limits.
The association also recalled its July 2, 2025, press release, which issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government to address its demands — including the withdrawal of a controversial circular from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, payment of outstanding allowances, and full implementation of collective bargaining agreements.
While expressing support for international cooperation, the NMA maintained that such efforts must not come at the cost of neglecting domestic health needs.
“This policy effectively turns Nigeria into a human resource exporter while its own citizens suffer from inadequate healthcare,” the statement read.
As the countdown on the NMA’s ultimatum ticks, questions continue to swirl around the government’s priorities amid a collapsing health system at home.