By Desire Uzochukwu
More than 200 million Nigerians are facing a widening rehabilitation gap, with only about 160 occupational therapists registered to provide specialised care for people living with physical, mental and developmental challenges.
The situation has been worsened by massive migration, as about 80 per cent of occupational therapists trained in Nigeria have reportedly left the country for greener pastures or further studies.
The Registrar of the Federal School of Occupational Therapy (FSOT), Lagos, Mrs Philomena Omoike, raised the alarm at the institution’s 20th and 21st combined convocation, where 93 students graduated.
Omoike said the shortage had become so severe that even major health institutions were struggling to provide adequate occupational therapy services, while the entire northern region has fewer than five occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.
“The shortage is very severe. Nigeria is facing an acute shortage of occupational therapists,” she said.
According to her, FSOT has trained about 900 occupational therapists over the past 24 years, but about 80 per cent of them have migrated out of the country or left for further studies.
Omoike said the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria had only about 160 registered occupational therapists, adding that not all of them were currently practising in Nigeria.
“In the psychiatric hospital, there are just five occupational therapy assistants and four occupational therapists. The other hospitals in Nigeria cannot boast of up to eight occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants, while in the entire North, there are not up to five.
“These OTs and OTAs are to render healthcare to over 200 million Nigerians. So you can imagine,” she said.
She called for the establishment of more occupational therapy training institutions across the country, alongside improved remuneration, career progression, infrastructure and funding to strengthen the workforce and reduce migration.
Omoike welcomed the Federal Government’s approval for occupational therapy programmes to be established in 20 universities across the country, describing it as a major boost for the profession.
She, however, warned that the availability of qualified lecturers could become a major challenge for the new programmes, noting that FSOT was already struggling to recruit and retain teaching staff.
“It is going to be a real task for recruitment of lecturers in these upcoming schools because from our own end, I know that getting lecturers is a very huge task,” she said.
The Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, also called for more occupational therapy training institutions, particularly in the North, South-East and South-South.
“There is scarcity of occupational therapists. We need to do something about it,” he said.
Owoeye said the shortage had been worsened by the migration of trained professionals abroad, stressing that expanding training capacity was essential to rebuilding the country’s rehabilitation workforce.
He said FSOT had recorded significant progress, including its elevation to a monotechnic and approval by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to award the National Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
The institution has also been integrated into the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board admission portal, while a Federal Ministry of Education waiver has created a Direct Entry pathway for past graduates seeking university degrees.
The Acting Provost of FSOT, Mr Ayooluwa Oni, said the institution was strengthening its curriculum with emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly the development of affordable rehabilitation equipment using locally available materials.
He said the initiative was aimed at reducing dependence on expensive imported equipment and improving access to rehabilitation services for patients.
Oni said the school was also expanding students’ practical training beyond government facilities to private institutions and schools, while its five-year vision was to become a degree-awarding institution and an advanced professional training centre.
The guest speaker and founder of Enabling Occupational Therapy, Mrs Kemi Peters, urged the graduates to embrace leadership, innovation and advocacy.
“AI needs your brain,” Peters told the graduates, stressing that technology should complement rather than replace empathy, compassion, clinical reasoning and human interaction in occupational therapy.
She also charged them to advocate for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups and help patients regain independence and participate meaningfully in society.
Two outstanding graduates, Ms Busari Olanyika Shekinat and Ms Igho Rebecca Ebun, received automatic employment letters from the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, in recognition of their academic performance.
