MRTB: Over One-Third of Nigerians Need Rehabilitation Care They Cannot Get

ABUJA — The Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria has raised alarm over a critical gap in rehabilitation services across the country. Vanguard reported the board’s warning on Monday. The MRTB said more than one-third of Nigerians require rehabilitation care but access to such services remains grossly inadequate.

Rehabilitation care covers physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and prosthetics and orthotics services. These services are critical for people recovering from strokes, accidents, surgery, and chronic conditions. They are also essential for children with developmental disabilities and adults with physical impairments.

MRTB Registrar Dr. Nwosu Obinna said Nigeria has a severe shortage of qualified rehabilitation therapists, properly equipped rehabilitation centres, and awareness of what rehabilitation services can achieve. He said the shortage is particularly acute in rural areas and in the north, where conflict-related injuries have created enormous unmet demand.

The Conflict Connection

Nigeria’s security crises have created a massive unmet need for rehabilitation services. Bomb blast survivors in the northeast, gunshot wound victims in the northwest, and road accident casualties across the country all require rehabilitation care that most Nigerian hospitals cannot provide.

The MRTB said it is working with the Federal Ministry of Health to develop a national rehabilitation services expansion plan. The plan will cover training of more therapists, equipping of rehabilitation units at federal and state hospitals, and community-based rehabilitation programs for rural populations.

Disability rights advocates praised the MRTB’s public advocacy. They said the rehabilitation gap has been one of Nigeria’s most invisible health crises for years. They called on the government to include a specific rehabilitation services funding line in the 2027 federal budget.