Cardiologists’ Shortage Worsening Heart Disease Burden, Expert Laments

The immediate past chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kaduna State branch, Dr Sheyin David Madaki, has raised alarm over the acute shortage of cardiologists in Nigeria. He warned that the development had compounded the rising cases of heart-related diseases across the country.

Madaki, who spoke to LEADERSHIP in Kaduna, described the situation as a ticking public health crisis, stressing that the widening gap between the number of specialists and patients is undermining access to life-saving cardiac care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

He said that cardiologists, who are highly specialised medical doctors trained to diagnose and treat heart conditions, remain grossly inadequate in number, leaving millions of Nigerians without timely access to expert care.

According to him, the doctor-to-patient ratio in the cardiology field is far below acceptable standards.

“One of the major effects is poor access to care. Patients are often on a waiting list for weeks or even months before they can see a cardiologist, especially in public hospitals.

In rural areas, it is even worse. Some communities struggle to access general practitioners, let alone specialists,” he said.

Madaki explained that prolonged waiting periods often lead to delayed diagnoses and worsening medical conditions, adding that patients requiring urgent cardiology intervention are frequently forced to endure extended appointment dates, thereby increasing the risk of complications and sudden deaths.

He said that the few cardiologists currently practising in the country are severely overstretched, adding that a specialist cardiologist sees between five and 10 patients daily, while many are compelled to attend to 20 to 50 patients each day.

“Doctors are not robots. Excessive workload could compromise the quality of care and heighten the likelihood of medical errors,” he said.

Beyond manpower constraints, the former NMA chairman identified inadequate medical infrastructure as a major setback.

He lamented that many government-owned hospitals lack essential diagnostic tools, such as echocardiographic machines and stress-testing equipment, thereby limiting effective diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases.