Medical Doctors Salary Structure In Nigeria (2024)
In this post, we will look at medical doctors salary structure in Nigeria this 2024. In this part of the world, medicine and surgery is one of the best courses to study in the university and it ranks first in the list of the most noble professional disciplines in the country among other top professional courses. Because of the much importance attached to the medical profession, many people in the country would love to know more about medical doctors salary structure in Nigeria, how much they earn, and we have set out to answer just that.
Many Nigerian parents want at least one of their children to become a medical doctor before considering or wishing others become pharmacists and other related health professionals such as biochemists and microbiologists.
Some would prefer their children grow up to be engineers, lawyers or accountants as these disciplines are referred to as professional disciplines but all these may come second in their scale of preference when they consider the prestige of being the parents of a medical doctor, with all due respect to other professions out there.
Apart from being one of the most prestigious professions in the country, being a medical doctor also means that you are privileged to have a job that also matches your pay with your prestige as it is also one of the decent paying professions in Nigeria, earning you an attractive salary package. It also gives you employment opportunities at some of the best health facilities in the country because once you graduate from medical school, you will become highly sort after.
Being a medical doctor requires a lot of hard work and dedication because it takes several years, seven years tops to learn all the requirements of the profession in the country and medical students are made to understand the complexity of their discipline in medical school, with the awareness that their primary job function once they graduate from the university and get employed is to save lives. It is no coincidence that doctors command a decent pay in Nigeria because of the amount of work they have to put in to ensure that lives are saved every hour, everyday, all through the year.
If you want to know the salary range of medical doctors in the country, we will give you the answers as we proceed in a short while. Note that the take home pay of doctors who work at government and teaching hospitals as well as private hospitals are what we will base this article on and their average salaries in each of the medical facilities aforementioned differ.
MEDICAL DOCTORS SALARY STRUCTURE IN NIGERIA 2024: HOW MUCH THEY ARE PAID
This 2024, just like other top paying jobs in the country, fresh graduate medical doctors in Nigeria are paid a starting salary at entry level within the range of ₦90,000 – ₦200,000 per month on average. The amount that medical doctors in the country earn is dependent on certain factors which include the sector that they work in, whether private or public, and the experience of doctors on the job with time.
Although medical doctors earn decent salaries, it should be noted that their take home pay at least at entry level is not as high as most people exaggerate it to be. Some private hospitals and clinics pay medical doctors less than what the Federal or State Government pays, that is why many of these medical practitioners lean towards government owned institutions more than private owned hospitals.
The Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for hospitals and Consolidated University Academic structure (CONAUSS), for medical doctors in the academic sector are two main bodies that regulate how much medical doctors earn per month in Nigeria. Having said that, we will now turn our attention on the average take home pay of doctors in the country.
MEDICAL DOCTORS HOUSEMANSHIP SALARY IN NIGERIA
The house job is the first way to earn as a medical doctor in Nigeria. Housemanship is a mandatory one-year service where fresh graduates who are newly inducted as medical doctors are to work with other more experienced medical doctors in order to learn on the job. The average salary for medical doctors undergoing the housemanship programme in Nigeria is between the range of ₦140,000 – ₦200,000 per month, and this depends on which hospital they are working at. House officers in federal hospital or teaching hospitals are usually paid more than those working in state hospitals.
NYSC MEDICAL DOCTORS SALARY IN NIGERIA
After the house job, comes the NYSC, where medical doctors who have completed their housemanship are expected to serve their fatherland, along with other fresh graduates in other professions for a period of one year. During the course of their NYSC, doctors are posted to local or teaching hospitals in their State of deployment.
Corper doctors earn between the salary range of ₦50,000 – ₦150,000 during their youth service. The amount per month varies depending on where they are posted to as their place of primary assignment in the States where they are deployed.
Not all medical doctors are however paid such amounts during their NYSC days as some work at their PPAs for free, depending on just their monthly allowances from the Federal Government. Most Corper doctors prefer to work at private hospitals more than government hospitals during NYSC because the pay package of private health institutions are more attractive during this phase of their lives and career.
POST-NYSC MEDICAL DOCTORS SALARY IN NIGERIA
Post-NYSC resident medical doctors in Nigeria are paid salaries in the range between ₦120,000 – ₦250,000 per month at private hospitals while government hospitals pay their junior resident medical doctors a salary in the range between ₦190,000 – ₦280,000 monthly. Medical doctors who are consultants earn salaries between the pay scale between ₦600,000 – ₦900,000 per month.
Post-NYSC salaries of medical doctors vary and even if they are regulated by CONHESS and CONAUSS, the difference between what medical doctors earn per month in government and private institutions is very evident. The salaries depend on the level of experience and qualification of the medical doctors.
Post-NYSC doctors are required to identify an area of specialization for their residency. Residency is the most popular path for doctors after they have finished serving their fatherland although there are other areas that they can choose to focus on.
SALARY STRUCTURE OF MEDICAL DOCTORS IN GOVERNMENT/TEACHING HOSPITALS
- Medical officers: ₦180,000 – ₦500,000 (this may be more depending on the grade level of the doctor)
- Resident Doctors (Registrars): ₦190,000 – ₦280,000
- Resident Doctors (Senior Registrars): ₦290,000 – ₦350,000
- Consultants (Fresh Consultants): ₦450,000 – ₦650,000
- Consultants (Senior Consultants): ₦700,000 – ₦800,000
SALARY STRUCTURE OF MEDICAL DOCTORS IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS
- Medical Officers: ₦60,000 – ₦150,000
- Resident Doctors: ₦120,000 – ₦250,000
- Consultants: ₦400,000 – ₦600,000
