WAHSUN summit: Health workers decry brain drain, killings
…Minjibir leads call for protection of health workers across region Health workers have raised the alarm over rising cases of brain drain and killings in the sector, warning that the
…Minjibir leads call for protection of health workers across region
Health workers have raised the alarm over rising cases of brain drain and killings in the sector, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to healthcare delivery.
The concern was expressed at the 25th plenary session of the West African Health Sector Unions Network (WAHSUN), where the Chairperson, Comrade (Dr.) Kabiru Ado Sani Minjibir led calls for urgent measures to protect health personnel and stem the tide of migration.
The plenary, themed “Strengthening Public Healthcare Delivery Systems in West Africa: Trade Union Strategies for Workforce Protection, Equity and Universal Health Coverage,” brought together delegates from across the sub-region to deliberate on solutions to the deepening health crisis.
Minjibir noted that the meeting, held nearly two years after the last plenary, followed a period marked by intense industrial action and growing pressure on health workers across the region.
He drew attention to the human cost of insecurity, recounting a tragic incident involving a union member.
“Our 24th Plenary recorded that a member of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria was kidnapped in the North-West of this country. Ransom was paid. He did not come home alive,” Minjibir said.
The WAHSUN chair stressed that such incidents reflected the daily risks faced by health workers, insisting that safety must be prioritised.
“A health worker who fears for their life cannot provide quality care. Safety is not a welfare request. It is a precondition for health service delivery,” he declared.
On the growing wave of migration, Minjibir warned that West Africa was losing its trained professionals at an alarming rate.
“West Africa is in the midst of an unprecedented outflow of trained health professionals. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and allied health workers are departing at a rate our health systems cannot absorb,” he said.
He described the trend as a “structural transfer of wealth from poor countries to rich ones,” calling for enforcement of international ethical recruitment standards.
The WAHSUN leader further highlighted the dire conditions faced by community health workers, many of whom work without pay or formal recognition.
“Across our region, a Community Health Worker will return home without a payslip and without any contract. Governments will record him/her in a column marked ‘volunteer,’” he said.
“Over eighty percent (80%) of Community Health Workers across the African region receive no formal salary,” he added, describing the situation as both a labour and gender justice issue.
Minjibir also criticised governments for failing to meet agreed health funding benchmarks.
“Nigeria allocated approximately six percent (6%) of its 2026 national budget to health, barely one-third of what the Abuja Declaration requires,” he noted.
While acknowledging some progress in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire, he urged governments to move beyond commitments to concrete action.
“We recognise these steps. And we call on all member governments to match words with measured actions and budget lines. Acknowledgment is not absolution,” he said.
Minjibir emphasised that trade unions remain critical partners in strengthening health systems.
“We are not a problem for governments to manage. We are a resource for governments to engage,” he added.
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Also speaking at the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, underscored the need for regional collaboration and sustained investment in healthcare.
“I think it says a lot that you are able to lead across the region on agendas that affect the welfare of all health workers in the region,” he said.
The minister acknowledged existing challenges but pointed to recent efforts by the Federal Government to improve the sector.
“This year it’s 6%. That’s the highest it has been in more than 15–20 years. So we are moving in the same direction,” he said.
He assured stakeholders of ongoing engagement with health unions to resolve lingering issues.
“I want to assure you that we are committed to achieving a fair and lasting resolution of all those longstanding issues,” Pate stated.
He added that the government was expanding funding coverage and training thousands of frontline health workers to improve service delivery nationwide.
“The health workforce is the lifeblood of the Nigerian health system,” he said.
