A professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Calabar, Dr Ofem Enang, has entered the race for the presidency of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), declaring that the worsening crisis in the medical profession can only be reversed through a deliberate reset of broken systems.
Addressing doctors across cadres, practice settings and locations, Enang said the challenges confronting Nigerian doctors, ranging from poor welfare and insecurity to mass emigration, eroded earnings and repeated breaches of agreements by the government, are symptoms of systemic failure rather than individual shortcomings.
He said it was this conviction that informed his decision to contest and the unveiling of his reform blueprint, “Renaissance 2026 – The Rebirth of Excellence,” which he described as a framework for rebuilding institutions, restoring confidence, and repositioning the profession for the future.
According to Enang, the agenda is anchored on five pillars, with doctors’ welfare as the foundation.
He pledged to make welfare non-negotiable and to work closely with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to address salary arrears, promotion backlogs, unsafe working hours, allowance distortions, and ensure the full implementation of collective bargaining agreements.
On insecurity, the NMA presidential hopeful declared zero tolerance for attacks on doctors, insisting that a country that cannot protect its healthcare workers cannot adequately protect its citizens. He also promised to confront long-standing housing and retirement challenges by advocating national mortgage schemes for doctors at single-digit interest rates, predictable pension systems, post-retirement health insurance, and dignified exit pathways for senior colleagues.
To strengthen healthcare delivery, Enang proposed economic empowerment measures for private practitioners, including tax reliefs, fair electricity tariffs, and renewable energy incentives, alongside plans to champion the establishment of a Bank of Medicine to provide low-interest funding for hospital expansion, equipment acquisition, and innovation.
