Nigerian Lawmakers Move to Raise Retirement Age of Healthcare Workers

From: State House, Abuja

The House of Representatives has taken a significant step towards addressing the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals in Nigeria by passing a bill for second reading that seeks to increase the retirement age of healthcare workers to 65 years or 40 years of service. This proposed legislation, sponsored by Adewale Hammed, aims to increase the length of service for healthcare workers, potentially revolutionizing the healthcare sector in the country.

According to Hammed, increasing the retirement age will retain experienced healthcare workers, allowing them to continue contributing their expertise to the sector. This is particularly important given the current challenges facing the healthcare delivery system, including a shortage of skilled professionals. Nigeria's healthcare sector is experiencing a significant depletion in both the number and quality of professionals due to two main factors: health workers migrating abroad in search of better opportunities and the compulsory retirement age of 60 and 35 years of service.

"The beneficiaries of this bill will be doctors, nurses, and other health workers, with the aim of boosting their services and maintaining professionalism in the health sector."

The lawmaker noted that the Federal Government has previously increased the length of service for certain categories of public servants, including judges, lecturers, and teachers. Hammed emphasized that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, has already agreed with stakeholders in the health sector to increase the retirement age for health workers from 60 to 65 years, and this bill aims to backup that agreement with legislation.

This development comes as other countries, like the United States, have also taken steps to adjust retirement ages and provisions. For instance, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022, which includes provisions to increase the age for required minimum distributions from retirement accounts and allow more flexibility in retirement plan contributions.

By increasing the retirement age, Nigeria hopes to retain experienced healthcare workers and address the shortage of skilled professionals in the sector. The bill's passage is a positive step towards strengthening the healthcare system and ensuring that Nigerians receive quality healthcare services.