Given the strenuous and tough tasks/responsibilities that rely on the shoulders of an average doctor in Nigeria, it shouldn’t be surprising as to why they should have their earnings on a totally different salary scale and structure.
Being a doctor in Nigeria is not easy, starting from the grass root, getting JAMB required score, passing the post UTME screening, and getting a university degree, it’s a common trend for a student studying medicine and surgery, dentistry or other related courses in Medicine, to spend more years than his or her contemporary studying other courses in art, engineering, and business.
In all honesty, this alone, should be among the first reasons why they should be earning higher than others.
The second reason why doctors salary in nigeria should be greater than their contemporaries, is this. In most academic institutions, their college of medicine uses a totally different academic calendar than that of the other faculties in the school.
Which means that they are been set apart from the holidays, breaks been enjoyed by other students. Although one of the major reasons why these medical students are distinguished from their peers, and are made to stay in school to study those very big books, is aimed at making them unbreakable and to know that saving life, is a Career that is valued above your time. People’s life are physically and practically, in your hand.
Passing the test of Medical schools is hard, and for students who can’t cope with these rigorous activities, they are most times relocated to other disciplines, or even withdrawn from their academic institution.
After spending tedious years in Medical schools, and when they start working, Medical doctors salaries are usually higher than that of an average businessman, an engineer or a lawyer. But the reason for this goes beyond the university curriculum and structure of the profession.
Medical doctors primarily earn more because they deal with lives – human lives for that matter! They involve in various procedures on a daily basis that decide whether a patient lives or dies.
Structure of Doctors Salary in Nigeria
In a survey carried out in 2017, the salary data for different professions were gathered all across Nigeria. After the survey, it was gathered that a medical doctor earns an average salary of Two hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N250,000) per month.
This excludes other financial benefits and multiple jobs earnings that comes with it. The survey also found out that the salary increases with the years of experience a doctor has spent in the field. While an entry level doctor earns an average of One hundred and seventy thousand Naira (N170,000)
In the survey, it was also gathered that an average middle-level medical doctor earns an average of Two hundred and seventy thousand Naira (N270,000).
However, apart from the basic salaries of a Medical doctor in Nigeria, there are other financial benefits attached to working as a doctor in Nigeria. According to the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS), other financial benefits of doctors in Nigeria are as follows;
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Specialist Allowance
This special allowance is a financial benefit allowance for doctors, and applies only to medical/dental officers who are employed as consultants.
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Call Duty Allowance
While the call duty allowance is payable to medical/dental officers who works in federal hospitals and clinics. However, this special benefit can ONLY be earned when an officer would have actually performed call duty in accordance with an existing call duty roster.
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Health Professional Non-Clinical Duty Allowance
This special allowance is payable to medical/dental officers who are deployed to offer health-related services in the federal ministry of health and other federal health institutions in Nigeria.
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Clinical Duty Allowance
To be a beneficiary of this allowance, you must be a honorary consultants, who is employed as academic staff in universities but render clinical services to teaching hospitals or specialist hospitals.
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Teaching Allowance
This allowance is ONLY payable to federal medical/dental officers who are occupied in the teaching of medical doctors or other health professionals in training and teaching/ specialist hospitals.
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Hazard Allowance
Just like the name rightfully suggest, the hazard allowance is paid across the board to all medical/ dental officers.
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Rural posting allowance
Just as the name implies, the Rural posting allowance is paid to all Federal medical/dental officers, stationed in rural communities. You should be aware that the rural posting allowance is paid this allowance at the rates specified. The federal ministry of health and the national salaries incomes and wages commission jointly determines the designation of a health station as rural.
You Can Earn More
You may be surprised at this sub heading. However, give me few minutes let me explain this to you. Now, apart from all the financial benefits which I mentioned above for a doctor in Nigeria to earn, there are other multiple jobs opening for you as a doctor to earn additional.
If you are well informed about the Job market, you’ll know that various professions offer job holders, opportunity to work in more than one firm at a time or involve in two or more tasks simultaneously to earn more. This also applies in the medical profession.
The medical profession, is among Professions with the leverage of having multiple jobs holding. For example, most medical doctors who work in government owned hospitals, usually own their own private hospital, or most times, work as a doctor or a consultant in other private clinics to earn more.
The implication of this multi-tasking as a medical doctor, is that it gives them, opportunity to earn more than the average salary of a regular doctor. So, while as at the time of writing this article, Surveys, study and intense research have shown that a average doctor salary is #247,000, with other allowances, it still does not take into account the other earnings they get from working in other hospitals.
Take note that the amount being earn here is based on the effort of the medical doctor, the status of the doctor, years of experience and so many other factors.
But the true is that Doctors who have multiple job holdings, may generally earn more salary than the average rate.