Doctors Warn: Crumbling Hospitals Put Children’s Lives at Risk as Crisis Deepens
Nigeria’s worsening healthcare conditions are raising growing concerns for child protection and safeguarding, following warnings from the new National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Afekhide Ernest Omoti, who said doctors are working in environments “not fit for domestic animals.”
Omoti, who spoke shortly after his election at the association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Kano, highlighted severe shortages in manpower, poor infrastructure, and underfunded health facilities across the country. He warned that the situation is pushing medical professionals out of the system and placing remaining staff under extreme pressure.
From a safeguarding perspective, the implications for children are significant. The shortage of doctors and overworked healthcare workers directly affects access to timely and adequate medical care for children, particularly newborns and those in vulnerable situations. Overstretched facilities increase the risk of delayed treatment, reduced monitoring, and missed opportunities for early intervention.
Healthcare services also play a key safeguarding role in identifying signs of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. However, when systems are understaffed and under-resourced, these protective functions are weakened, leaving children more exposed to harm that may go undetected.
Omoti also raised concerns about low government funding for the health sector, noting that Nigeria currently allocates between four and six per cent to healthcare, far below the 15 per cent benchmark under the Abuja Declaration. He said the funding gap continues to worsen conditions in hospitals and limit service delivery.
The NMA president further warned that continued poor remuneration and working conditions are driving medical professionals out of the country, reducing the number of available doctors and increasing workload pressure on those remaining.
Safeguarding experts say the situation reflects a broader systemic risk, where gaps in healthcare provision directly impact children’s right to survival, development, and protection. They stress that strengthening the health system is essential not only for doctors’ welfare but also for ensuring children receive safe, timely, and effective care.
