Medical professionals have expressed concerns over the current minimum wage, asserting that N70,000 is inadequate to cover basic living expenses. Instead, they argue that this amount would only suffice for transportation to hospitals, particularly considering the increased cost of living in Nigeria.
With the recent minimum wage set at N70,000, medical experts say the majority of Nigerians cannot have good healthcare, especially with the country’s high costs of drugs and medical services.
The physicians said the approved minimum wage can only take care of transportation costs of patients to the hospital but can’t foot their medical bills.
The doctors argued that with the biting economic hardship that had already plunged many Nigerians into poverty, N70,000 was grossly inadequate to provide good healthcare to the populace, particularly those with low incomes.
[…] The senior health professionals said with the current exchange rates and the skyrocketing costs of essential drugs, which have increased by over 300 per cent, the minimum wage falls far short of providing the quality healthcare every Nigerian deserves.
They emphasised that without a robust health insurance system in place, reliance on out-of-pocket payments for medical services will further impoverish ordinary citizens.
The experts pointed out that individuals with limited purchasing power were forced to prioritise basic needs such as food over healthcare, putting their health at risk.
