68% of Nigeria’s Health Workers Have Seen Patients Die Due to Staff Shortages – Survey

Two in three frontline nurses in Nigeria have seen patients in their care die due to a lack of adequate staff, according to a survey of healthcare workers by Public Services International (PSI). 

More than 90 percent reported that they were working over capacity, with almost half (48 percent) having to carry out double their recommended workload.

Healthcare workers in Nigeria took part in a global survey, which spoke to 2000 workers from various countries. More widely in Africa, 71 percent of workers say they have twice as many patients than they can adequately care for. As a result, 86 percent say they have seen patients experience unnecessary pain or suffering. 

Under increasing pressure, an overwhelming majority of respondents say staff shortages and insufficient pay for the amount of work are the main reasons causing them to consider quitting. Over three quarters of respondents said they felt increasing pressure to accomplish more tasks with fewer resources – in Nigeria alone, this number climbed to 82 percent.

Responding to the PSI survey results, the Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was quoted as saying: “Health and care workers protect us day in and day out. Whether in local health centres, care facilities, fighting disease outbreaks, or in emergency responses to conflict and climate-related disasters, they face major challenges that demand a major response.  

“We owe them our gratitude and duty of care. I call on all countries to protect all health and care workers’ labour rights; and to invest in adequate staffing levels and decent working conditions, including fair pay.”   

PSI is a global union federation representing 30 million workers, mostly in the health/care sectors.