The Abia chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association has revealed that Nigerian doctors and health workers carry the health system on their backs, but are often unpaid, under-resourced, and at risk.

The NMA state chairman, Ezuruike Ezinwa disclosed this on Monday while briefing newsmen on the 2025 Physicians’ Week with the theme, “Healthcare as a Value Chain: Building Efficiency from Policy to Patient”, stating, “it is a time to reflect, renew, and reaffirm our collective mission”.

He commended the state government for introducing the Abia State Health Workers Salary Scale and for recruiting 771 new healthcare personnel” and urged that this recruitment process be based strictly on merit “as we cannot afford to toil with the lives of Abia citizens”, and called for the reintroduction of in-service training approvals for doctors, “as a motivated workforce is the bedrock of a functional system”.

According to him, Nigeria spends just 4.08% of GDP on health, far below the Abuja declaration target, while Abia State, stands out by meeting the 15% benchmark, adding, “Healthy life expectancy is about 55 years, health worker density is less than half the WHO minimum, maternal mortality remains above 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births in Nigeria and up to 80% of deaths in rural communities stem from failures in primary healthcare.

“Infrastructure alone is not enough. Our PHCs must be fully equipped, staffed, and connected to a seamless referral network. The ongoing renovation of PHCs in Abia is commendable, but we must go further by strengthening referral systems, ensuring consistent supply chains, embracing digital health tools, and institutionalising quality assurance”, he said.

He suggested, “to truly build value from policy to patient, we must embrace: policy reform with actionable accountability, smarter financing with a focus on prevention and primary care, workforce revitalisation through fair remuneration, better working conditions, and opportunities for growth, operational excellence through data, logistics, and innovation and leadership driven by results, not rhetoric.

“Policies must move from paper to practice”, and “our financing model must shift from fragmented spending to strategic investment.

“Imagine an Abia where every pregnant woman in a rural community can access skilled care early, where drugs are available, where referrals work seamlessly, and where every doctor is motivated and empowered to save lives rather than struggle against systemic failure.”

He said the future Is within reach, but only if we strengthen every link in the healthcare value chain.

Ezinma affirmed that the state chapter of NMA stands ready to work with government, partners, and the public to ensure healthcare delivers value from policy to patient. (The PUNCH)