By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has challenged the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) to champion actionable solutions to Nigeria’s alarming maternal mortality rate and the mass migration of health professionals.
Addressing participants at the association’s 24th biennial conference in Kaduna, themed “Global Health, Ethics and Transformative Leadership in a Changing World,” Abbas described the gathering as a “melting pot of ideas” capable of inspiring strategies to confront Nigeria’s most pressing health challenges.
Represented by Abduljalal Danbaba, Director-General of the National Water Resources Institute, the Speaker lamented that Nigeria’s healthcare system was under severe strain, pointing out that the country, with over 218 million people, had just 74,000 registered doctors in 2022. This, he said, equates to one doctor for every 10,000 citizens, a far cry from the World Health Organization’s recommendation of one doctor to 600 patients.
“As of 2023, over 12,000 Nigerian doctors were practising in the United Kingdom. The United States, Canada, and Germany are also among top destinations. This wave of emigration is having a devastating effect on our health indices,” Abbas noted.
He expressed concern over Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate, describing it as “deeply troubling,” and underscored that women, who make up a slight majority of the population, remain disproportionately affected.
On legislative action to promote gender inclusion, Abbas revealed that the House of Representatives was considering the creation of reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities at national and subnational levels.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, represented by Secretary to the State Government Dr Abdulkadir Meyere, reaffirmed his administration’s backing for women’s advancement in healthcare. He encouraged female doctors to mentor upcoming practitioners, prioritise ethical practice, and invest in transformative research.
Sani praised the election of Dr Zainab Kwaru Muhammad-Idris as MWAN’s first female president from Northern Nigeria, calling it a milestone that would inspire a new generation of northern girls.
“We are proud of her courage in taking up this responsibility. Women in medicine are not only wives and mothers but also teachers, innovators, and community builders shaping healthier societies,” he said.
Outgoing MWAN National President Prof. Rosemary Ogu reflected on challenges in the global health space, citing pandemics, climate change, conflicts, migration, and inequalities as urgent issues demanding ethical leadership and robust health systems. She applauded the association’s work on mental health, community outreach, and gender equity in nursing, stressing that true reform in healthcare would only come through broad-based collaboration across sectors and borders.
