REPS APPROVE BILL TO RAISE RETIREMENT AGE FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS FOR SECOND READING

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The House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday for second reading that would raise the retirement age of health workers in the country from 60 to 65 and 35 to 40 years of service.

Leading a debate on the bill in plenary, its sponsor, Dr. Wale Hammed (APC, Lagos), stated that the law will encourage experienced medical professionals to contribute to the development of the health sector while training younger ones.

According to him, it has the potential to revolutionise the healthcare sector, and the Japa syndrome is having a negative impact on the sector because the bulk of those leaving the country are always young.

He stated that, while the country cannot ban migration due to the rights of the individuals concerned, the retirement age can be altered to allow those willing to work locally to stay in service for longer periods.

He stated that “increasing the retirement age will retain experienced healthcare workers, allowing them to continue contributing their expertise to the sector, which is especially important given that the healthcare delivery system is facing significant challenges, particularly a shortage of skilled professionals.

“Nigeria’s healthcare sector is currently experiencing a significant depletion in both the number and quality of professionals due to two main factors.

“Firstly, a substantial number of health workers are migrating abroad in search of the proverbial golden fleece—a trend difficult to stop given the fundamental human rights of the individuals concerned. Secondly, the compulsory retirement age of 60 and the mandatory 35 years of service, as stipulated in the public service rules, is contributing to the exodus of experienced professionals.

“While we cannot control the former, the latter can be addressed through the upward review of the retirement age which will be achieved by this bill.

“We have precedence for such measures, as the federal government has previously reviewed upward, the retirement age for certain categories of public servants, including judges, lecturers, and teachers.”

Contributing to the debate, Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) urged members to give the bill some direction, noting that other states in the federation have already raised the retirement age for health professionals.

He revealed that criteria are always provided during hospital recruitment and that consultants and other health professionals are consistently understaffed due to a lack of expertise.

He stated that health workers over the age of 50 who want to stay and contribute to the health care delivery system should be permitted to do so rather than being forced to retire due to their age or length of employment. Contributing to the debate, Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) urged members to give the bill some direction, noting that other states in the federation have already raised the retirement age for health professionals.

He revealed that criteria are always provided during hospital recruitment and that consultants and other health professionals are consistently understaffed due to a lack of expertise.

Bello Ambarura, who also contributed, stated that many consultant posts in the various Federal Medical Centres remain unfilled, while those who retire are being hijacked by foreign agencies due to their experience.

He stated that raising the retirement age for health workers will benefit the country’s health industry significantly.