Medical consultants push for retirement age of 70 as minister presents memo
Medical consultants push for retirement age of 70 as minister presents memo
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has forwarded a memo to the Office of the Head of Service proposing an extension of the retirement age for medical and dental consultants in Nigeria.
The proposal recommends raising the retirement age from 60 to 70 years. Earlier in February, President Bola Tinubu had approved an increase in the retirement age for doctors and other healthcare professionals from 60 to 65 years.
Despite this adjustment, the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has continued to press for 70 years as the retirement age for consultants, pointing to the growing exodus of skilled health workers and the shortage of trainers at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels of medical education.
The association noted that about 1,594 consultants, aged 55 and above, are expected to retire by 2029, while data show that 1,056 consultants left Nigeria between 2019 and 2023 in search of better opportunities abroad.
According to stakeholders, the proposed extension would help address the nation’s healthcare workforce shortage.
Speaking exclusively with a correspondent on Monday, MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, said the association remained optimistic that the retirement age extension would be approved by the government.
“We are now at the final stage of the negotiations. By this, I mean that the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has already submitted the memo to the Office of the Head of Service,” Muhammad explained.
He added, “What we are waiting for is the next meeting of the National Council on Establishment to review and hopefully approve it. The Office of the Head of Service is expected to fix a date for the meeting, likely in September.”
The academic expressed confidence that the proposal on extending the retirement age would be approved and implemented promptly.
