A physiotherapist, Dr Esther Ibeye, has attributed the growing migration of physiotherapists from Nigeria to poor remuneration, heavy workloads and limited support in the healthcare system.
Ibeye disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where she highlighted the challenges facing practitioners and their impact on patient care.
She said inadequate compensation for the workload involved was encouraging many physiotherapists to seek better opportunities abroad.
“I think this is even more like it is feeding back to the Japa cycle. So when someone feels they are doing a lot of work, and they are not well compensated for it, they start thinking of actually leaving for other countries where they don’t have to deal with a lot of patients,” she said.
Ibeye added that even where physiotherapists handle large numbers of patients abroad, better compensation and working conditions made the workload more sustainable.
She also highlighted the physically demanding nature of physiotherapy, noting that practitioners spend long hours walking, standing, demonstrating exercises and assisting patients with movement.
“Physiotherapy work is very physically demanding, and you are not supposed to see a lot of patients in a day because you have to do a lot of walking, standing, demonstrating the exercise, and supporting the patient to walk,” she said.
According to her, physiotherapists in public hospitals sometimes attend to between five and seven patients a day, with some handling even more without adequate support.
She explained that the workload could affect the quality of care, particularly for patients with balance and coordination difficulties who require close supervision while relearning how to stand and walk.
“Sometimes we have physiotherapists running from one patient to the other, whereas they are supposed to pay attention to one patient at a time,” she said.
Ibeye’s comments came as the global health community marked World Physiotherapy Day, highlighting the importance of physiotherapy in healthcare and rehabilitation.
Government investment
Ibeye also called on the government to increase investment in physiotherapy services and provide better support for practitioners across the country.
“The government really has to invest in physiotherapy care in Nigeria. We have to support physiotherapy because it’s a really vital part of healthcare,” she said.
“Healthcare can’t do without physiotherapy; it’s a profession that gets people back to function.”
