Bill seeking to establish a specialised medical college for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces yesterday scaled second reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The bill, sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), proposes the establishment of a military-run medical institution responsible for training medical doctors, specialist physicians, and allied health professionals for the Nigerian Armed Forces and other uniformed services.
The proposal draws on international models, national workforce data, and the operational needs of a modern military. Its key drivers include the ongoing exodus of Nigerian physicians, frequent industrial actions disrupting civilian medical education, the need for military-specific medical training such as tropical medicine, trauma care, CBRN response and austere-environment medicine, and the operational advantage of a disciplined, reliable medical corps insulated from civilian strikes.
Leading debate on general principles of the bill, Hon. Benson said a nation’s healthcare capacity is a major determinant of its security posture. He noted that for the Nigerian Army, dependable medical support is essential for force health protection, casualty management, preventive medicine, and the welfare of troops and their dependants.
He lamented that despite progress made by the Nigerian Army Medical Corps (NAMC), the wider national health sector continues to face persistent shortages of doctors, unequal distribution of specialists and a sustained outflow of medical professionals to higher-income countries.
According to him, establishing a military medical college would create a sustainable, mission-focused pipeline of physicians trained specifically for the demands of military service.
Speaking further, Hon. Benson stressed that Nigeria has experienced a significant outflow of medical professionals over the past decade. He cited a 2022 study which reported that between 2016 and 2018, over 9,000 medical doctors left Nigeria seeking opportunities abroad, with many more expressing intent to emigrate.
He added that national reporting and government statements indicate that thousands more have migrated in subsequent years. One widely cited review estimated that about 16,000 doctors emigrated over a five-year period, leaving around 55,000 doctors in the country. Other analysts suggest that as many as half of all licensed medical doctors trained in Nigeria have emigrated at some point in their careers, contributing to Nigeria’s low physician density compared to global benchmarks.
“The Army’s requirement for doctors is at least 15 times the current number,” he said, adding that the Navy and Air Force face similar shortages. “Generally, retention rates are far below recruitment, leading to a net loss of skilled manpower with attendant consequences”, he added.
