MRTB Warns: 1 in 3 Nigerians Needs Rehabilitation — Services Fall Dangerously Short

The Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria has flagged a stark crisis in the nation's rehabilitation sector, revealing that approximately one in three Nigerians requires some form of rehabilitation care while available services fall dangerously short of demand. The disclosure places Nigeria alongside countries with some of the most underserved rehabilitation populations in the world.

Rehabilitation Needs Outpace Availability

During a public briefing in Abuja, MRTB officials disclosed that Nigeria's rehabilitation infrastructure remains critically underdeveloped relative to the population's needs. The board cited data indicating that demand for services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech rehabilitation has grown substantially over the past decade, driven partly by rising rates of stroke, road traffic injuries, and conditions related to an ageing population.

"We are dealing with a system that has not kept pace with the realities on the ground," a board representative told Vanguard News. The shortfall means countless patients travel long distances or forgo treatment entirely, often with devastating long-term consequences for their mobility and independence.

Geographic Disparities Deepen the Crisis

The distribution of rehabilitation services across Nigeria is highly uneven. While major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt host a concentration of therapists and clinics, rural areas in states like Sokoto, Kebbi, and Bayelsa report near-complete absence of specialist care. Patients in these regions frequently must travel hundreds of kilometres to access basic physiotherapy sessions.

Reports from community health workers in the North-West and South-South zones suggest that people recovering from strokes or accidents routinely return home without follow-up care, leading to preventable complications and permanent disability. The board noted that this geographic imbalance compounds existing health inequities.

Workforce Shortage Compounds the Problem

Beyond infrastructure gaps, Nigeria faces a severe shortage of qualified rehabilitation professionals. The MRTB indicated that the country currently has far fewer physiotherapists and occupational therapists per capita than the World Health Organisation recommends for nations with similar disease burdens.

Training institutions, including the University of Lagos and the University of Benin, produce graduates annually, but many relocate abroad or enter the telecommunications and insurance sectors, where remuneration is considerably higher. Brain drain has hit the rehabilitation sector particularly hard, with therapists citing inadequate government salaries and poor working conditions as primary factors.

What Attracts Professionals Away

Multiple therapists who spoke to Vanguard News on condition of anonymity described a profession undervalued by the health system. "We are paid a fraction of what nurses earn, and the equipment we need is rarely provided," one physiotherapist in Kano said. Facilities in government hospitals often lack basic supplies, from exercise mats to electrotherapy machines, forcing clinicians to improvise or limit the services they offer.

The private sector has expanded in urban centres, but fees are prohibitively expensive for most families. A single session in Lagos can cost between ₦15,000 and ₦40,000, placing ongoing treatment beyond the reach of low-income households.

Health Outcomes Suffer

Without adequate rehabilitation, patients who could otherwise recover full function remain disabled. Stroke survivors, who represent a growing demographic given Nigeria's rising prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, often spend months immobile at home, developing pressure sores, muscle contractures, and respiratory infections that could be prevented with early intervention.

Children with developmental disorders, including cerebral palsy and autism spectrum conditions, similarly miss the window for therapies that could substantially improve their quality of life. Early childhood intervention specialists are extremely scarce outside state capitals, meaning rural families face near-insurmountable barriers to getting help.

Policy Gaps and Advocacy Efforts

The MRTB has called on the Federal Ministry of Health to prioritise rehabilitation in the next national health strategic plan, requesting increased funding for training programmes, equipment procurement, and the establishment of satellite clinics in underserved regions. The board also wants legislation to formalise rehabilitation as a covered benefit under the National Health Insurance Authority framework.

Civil society groups have echoed these calls. The Nigerian Society of Physiotherapy has been running a campaign to raise public awareness about the profession and has partnered with international NGOs to deliver services in crisis-affected areas of Borno and Yobe. However, advocates say sustained government commitment, not short-term projects, is what Nigeria needs.

What Comes Next

The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the MRTB's findings but has not yet announced a timeline for addressing the gaps. Health analysts expect the next federal budget cycle, expected in the third quarter of 2025, to be a critical indicator of whether authorities intend to expand rehabilitation coverage. Stakeholders are watching for concrete allocations for training scholarships and the opening of new training programmes in the North-Central zone.

For millions of Nigerians, the gap between need and care remains a daily emergency. The question now is whether policymakers will treat rehabilitation as a priority or allow the shortfall to deepen further.