Kwara: NMA raises alarm over growing mental health issues among doctors

Members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kwara state have raised the alarm over increasing cases of burnout, anxiety, depression and suicide among medical practitioners in the country, warning that it threatens the lives of the healthcare workforce.

Speaking with journalists at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the NMA in Ilorin on Tuesday, the association’s chairman, Professor Olushola Abdulrahman Afolabi, said Nigerian doctors are facing increasing stress due to long working hours, high patient loads, poor remuneration, and rising incidents of workplace violence.

Afolabi revealed that a recent NMA survey showed a significant proportion of Nigerian doctors experience mental distress.

“There are very few doctors who have access to professional help because of the limited mental health services and the stigma attached to seeking care,” he added.

Adding empirical results to the discussion, Professor Issa Baba Awoye, the former NMA chairman, recalled a 2014 study conducted among doctors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), which found that 14.5 per cent of doctors had diagnosable psychiatric disorders.

“That figure was within a teaching hospital environment, where mental health care is readily available and psychiatrists work alongside them”, Baba Awoye said. “Imagine what it would be for doctors working in less-equipped settings. If we repeat the study today, I fear the numbers would be worse”.

He noted that stigma remains one of the greatest barriers to care. “Nobody wants to be associated with any psychiatric illness. Even visiting a psychiatric hospital for counselling often results in being labelled. That fear keeps many from coming forward, even when they are struggling”, he said.

He explained that some hospitals now provide in-house consultations to bypass the stigma of visiting psychiatric units, with behavioural scientists meeting doctors privately in their clinics.

“We are calling on the federal government to make mental health evaluation for doctors a standard practice”, Baba Awoye urged. “That way, early detection and intervention can be part of routine medical care for healthcare workers”.

Professor Afolabi also urged the media to help raise awareness and challenge the stigma around mental health, stating: “Our healthcare system can only be as strong as the mental and physical well-being of those who sustain it”.

He also added that there should be awareness about the role of doctors in entrepreneurial ventures, encouragement in innovation of healthcare service delivery, and call for supportive policies, training, and funding opportunities that enable doctors to thrive as both caregivers and change-makers.

Talking on the theme of the programme, ‘Medicine and Entrepreneurship’ and sub-theme: ‘Mental Health and Well-being of Doctors in Nigeria: Importance of Mental Health’, the NMA chairman said that the AGM and Scientific Conference commenced on Sunday, August 10, 2025, with Thanksgiving Service at the Chapel of Light, UITH, Ilorin, On Monday, August 11, 2025, a medical outreach was held at the Nigerian Army Sobi Cantonment, Ilorin, Kwara State, where residents and members of the surrounding communities benefited from free medical screenings including ophthalmology (Eye Check) and Ear, Nose and Throat assessments and alongside free consultations and medications.

The Scientific Conference will take place on Wednesday, August 13,2025, in a hybrid format. Thursday, August 14, and Friday, August 15, 2025, will feature both indoor and outdoor sporting activities. Friday, August 15, 2025, will also include a Jumat Service at the KWASUTH Central Mosque. The event will conclude with the AGM proper on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

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