Nigeria’s healthcare system requires a new leadership approach focused on innovation, accountability and sustainable development to overcome challenges such as brain drain, poor funding and weak infrastructure, the Nigerian Medical Association, Oyo State Chapter, has said.
The association made the call during its 2026 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference in Ibadan, with the theme “Redefining Healthcare Leadership in Nigeria: Innovation, Accountability and Sustainable Development.”
Delivering the keynote address, Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Dr. Titilayo Ibiyemi, said the health sector can no longer operate under a “business-as-usual” model, stressing the need for transformational leadership to improve service delivery and restore public confidence.
She said healthcare leaders must embrace innovation, strategic planning and collaboration, while identifying brain drain, inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, weak accountability and overreliance on donor support as major obstacles affecting the sector.
Ibiyemi noted that over 16,000 Nigerian doctors left the country between 2017 and 2023, while only about 20 per cent of the nation’s primary healthcare centres are fully functional. She also raised concerns over Nigeria’s healthcare spending, which remains below the Abuja Declaration target.
The Oyo State NMA Chairman, Dr. Happy Adedapo, said the conference was aimed at addressing current challenges in the sector, adding that the association would submit recommendations to relevant authorities.
Adedapo called for stronger efforts to address the migration of medical professionals, urging government to improve welfare, working conditions, infrastructure and career development opportunities to retain healthcare workers.
