“Nigerian Critical Care System Needs to Be Put in ICU” — Nurse Manager Calls for Urgent Action

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s critical care system is facing mounting pressure from a shortage of skilled nurses, rising patient numbers and the continued migration of healthcare professionals, a critical care nurse manager has warned.

John Adeleye, Critical Care Nurse Manager at Evercare Hospital, Lagos, made the remarks at the Critical Care Nurses Summit held at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on Thursday, 13 August 2026.

The summit, organised by the Nigeria Society of Critical Care Nurses (NSCCN), Lagos State Branch, brought together nursing and healthcare professionals to discuss the future of critical care nursing and the challenges facing the sector.

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Speaking about the state of the workforce, Adeleye said Nigeria did not have enough critical care nurses to meet the needs of its growing patient population.

“In terms of manpower, we don’t have it. The numbers of patients are alarming, no staff.”

He said the limited number of critical care professionals available was being further depleted by the migration of nurses and other healthcare workers abroad, widely known in Nigeria as the “Japa” syndrome.

“The little we have are being lost to Japa syndrome.”

‘Everybody is affected’

Adeleye said the workforce shortage was not a problem that could be addressed by government hospitals alone.

He noted that private healthcare providers were also experiencing the impact of the shortage and called for greater collaboration between the government and private sector.

“Nigerian government need to look into this because everybody is affected. Even the private sector, as we can’t leave it in the hands of the government alone.”

His comments come amid continuing concerns about Nigeria’s ability to train, recruit and retain enough healthcare professionals to meet demand.

For critical care services, the challenge is particularly important because patients in intensive and high-dependency settings require close monitoring and nurses with specialised knowledge and clinical skills.

Call for more critical care training

Adeleye called for greater investment in specialist nursing education and workforce development.

He said the government should support nurses who want to pursue critical care training and expand opportunities for nurses already in practice to update their knowledge and skills.

“We need to build capacity, training. Government needs to sponsor people to come and study critical care. We need critical care continuous nursing education.”

Continuous professional development is particularly important in critical care, where nurses care for patients with complex and rapidly changing conditions.

A stronger training pipeline could help increase the number of nurses equipped to work in intensive care and other specialised critical care environments.

Paediatric critical care faces further pressure

Adeleye also highlighted the situation in paediatric critical care, saying the manpower challenge was even more concerning in that area.

While adult critical care services already face significant workforce pressures, caring for critically ill children requires additional specialist knowledge and skills.

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The comments underline the need to consider workforce development across different areas of critical care rather than focusing only on adult intensive care services.

Summit focuses on empowered nurses

The Critical Care Nurses Summit was held under the theme:

“Our Nurses, Our Future: Empowered Nurses Save Lives.”

The event featured healthcare leaders and professionals who discussed the importance of strengthening critical care nursing in Nigeria.

Among the speakers was Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, who delivered the keynote address.

Also in attendance was Professor Adeyemo W. L. (FAS), Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

The summit provided a platform for nurses and other healthcare professionals to examine challenges affecting critical care delivery and discuss ways to strengthen the workforce.

Why critical care nursing capacity matters

Critical care services depend on more than equipment and hospital infrastructure. They also require sufficient numbers of appropriately trained healthcare professionals to provide continuous care.

A shortage of specialist nurses can increase pressure on existing staff and make workforce retention more difficult.

Nigeria’s loss of experienced healthcare professionals to international migration therefore presents a significant challenge for both public and private healthcare providers.

Addressing the problem will require a combination of training, recruitment, retention, continuous professional development and improved working conditions.

From training to retention

Adeleye’s call for urgent action points to a wider question for Nigeria’s health system: how can the country build a critical care workforce that is large enough, properly trained and sustainable?

Government has a key role in expanding specialist training and supporting healthcare workforce development. However, private hospitals, professional organisations and healthcare institutions also have a role in developing nurses and creating opportunities for long-term career progression.

The challenge is not simply to train more critical care nurses, but to create conditions that encourage experienced professionals to remain in the system.

As Adeleye put it, the numbers of patients are rising while the available workforce remains limited.

For Nigeria’s critical care services, strengthening the nursing workforce may be as important as investing in the equipment and infrastructure surrounding it.

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