The Federal Government has established a committee to draft a memo for the Head of Service regarding which categories of healthcare workers should be included in the upcoming review of retirement age
It was learned that the memo outlines a proposal to raise the retirement age for medical and dental consultants from 60 to 70 years, as requested by the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria.
In February, President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in the retirement age for doctors and other healthcare workers from 60 to 65 years.
Both the Nigerian Medical Association and MDCAN praised the President for this decision, calling it a positive step toward addressing the nation’s healthcare workforce shortage.
However, MDCAN has emphasised that its official stance is to extend the retirement age for consultants to 70, as was agreed upon in a 2024 agreement with the Federal Government.
According to the agreement, while the retirement age for most doctors and healthcare workers would increase from 60 to 65, the retirement age for consultants would be raised to 70 years.
Speaking with Punch on Wednesday, MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, revealed that a committee had been formed to draft a memo outlining the process for implementing the new retirement age for healthcare workers, including consultants.
Muhammad explained, “The Federal Government has set up a committee to draft a memo to the Head of Service, specifying the due process for implementing the change and identifying which categories of healthcare professionals are eligible for the increased retirement age.
Not everyone working in a hospital will be affected, as it’s only those directly involved in patient care who will benefit from the change. Clinical staff, who are directly responsible for patient care, will be the primary group impacted.”
He continued, “The committee has already met and developed a memo, which will be reviewed again to ensure the correct groups are identified. The memo also addresses the proposed increase in retirement age for consultants from 60 to 70 years, while for other clinical healthcare workers, the age will increase from 60 to 65 in federal tertiary hospitals.”
The professor expressed optimism about the review but stressed the need for swift action from the government to ensure timely implementation.
“The success of this process depends on the issuance of a circular to implement the increased retirement age. The sooner the circular is released, the better,” he added.
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