By Dennis Agbo
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Enugu State chapter, has called for improved incentives for doctors serving rural communities, expanded telemedicine services and reforms to strengthen primary healthcare delivery across the state.
The state NMA Chairman, Dr. Chima Edoga, made the call on Monday during a press conference to mark the 2026 Physicians’ Week, raising concerns over the uneven distribution of medical personnel despite an estimated 2,000 doctors serving a population of between three and four million in Enugu State.
Edoga said most doctors were concentrated in urban centres, leaving rural communities with limited access to medical services.
He stressed the need for urgent structural interventions, noting that relying solely on training more doctors would not provide an immediate solution, as it could take up to six years to train new medical professionals.
He advocated improved remuneration, better working conditions, adequate accommodation and enhanced security to attract and retain doctors in underserved communities.
Citing Delta State as an example, Edoga said competitive remuneration had helped the state attract more medical personnel under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He proposed improved financial packages for corps-member doctors posted to rural health facilities, as well as incentives for urban-based specialists to conduct outreach consultations in remote communities.
The NMA chairman also called for stronger support systems to encourage healthcare workers to remain in rural postings.
As part of efforts to address gaps in healthcare access, Edoga announced plans for a comprehensive medical outreach in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, targeting up to 1,000 beneficiaries.
He said the exercise would include between 50 and 100 specialised surgeries for cataracts, pterygium and other eye conditions.
The outreach would also feature screenings for HIV, hepatitis B and C, diabetes and glaucoma.
According to him, the initiative would establish lasting links with local healthcare workers to ensure that patients receive follow-up care after the exercise.
On primary healthcare delivery, Edoga expressed concern that many patients bypass primary and secondary healthcare facilities to seek treatment at tertiary institutions, including ESUT Teaching Hospital and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.
He cited the growing number of Type-3 and planned Type-2 primary healthcare centres across Enugu State as evidence of the potential to improve access to medical services at the grassroots.
He specifically referenced a facility in Nara which, according to him, attended to nearly 500 patients in one day.
Edoga said functional primary healthcare centres could provide basic diagnostic services and manage illnesses at their early stages, thereby reducing unnecessary pressure on tertiary hospitals.
He further proposed dedicated communication channels linking rural health workers with specialists in urban centres through telemedicine.
The arrangement, he explained, would enable frontline healthcare workers to obtain expert guidance in managing patients without requiring them to travel long distances to access specialist services.
Edoga said the combination of improved rural incentives, stronger primary healthcare facilities, specialist outreach programmes and telemedicine would help bridge healthcare inequalities and improve access to quality medical services across Enugu State.
The post NMA seeks rural doctor incentives, telemedicine in Enugu appeared first on Vanguard News.