By Esther Onyegbula

Medical social workers in Nigeria have been urged to embrace continuous learning and inter-professional collaboration following the recent passage of the Social Work Act, which grants formal legal recognition to the profession.

Speaking at the 2025 World Social Work Day celebration in Lagos, the Chairman of the Association for Medical Social Work in Nigeria (AMSWON) Lagos Chapter, Ms. Titilayo Tade, emphasized the importance of adapting to evolving healthcare demands.

“With the passage of the Social Work Act, our field has gained well-deserved professional recognition. But with that recognition comes greater responsibility. We must acquire new knowledge, improve our skills, and engage more with other healthcare professionals.”

“The Social Work Act, recently signed into law, establishes formal standards for social work practice in Nigeria and mandates greater integration of medical social workers into healthcare services. This move is expected to strengthen their role in providing psychosocial support to patients and families within medical settings”.

“This Act doesn’t just give us a title, it gives us a mandate to lead in healthcare. But with that recognition comes greater responsibility.”

The Social Work Act, recently enacted, establishes formal standards for social work practice and ensures greater integration of medical social workers into the healthcare system.”

However, the chairman warned that the recognition also comes with challenges, particularly in terms of skill development, professional collaboration, and adapting to new healthcare demands.

Explaining further, Tade, stated that “To truly thrive in this new era, we must be open to acquiring new knowledge, improving our skills, and engaging with other professionals. It’s no longer enough to rely on what we already know, we must adapt, innovate, and stay sharp in delivering psychosocial support to our patients and their families.”

Highlighting the crucial role of medical social workers in ensuring holistic patient care, the guest Speaker, Mrs. Laide Latinwo, “According to the World Health Organization, health is not complete without social well-being. Medical social workers play an essential role in supporting patients within hospital and medical settings. We collaborate with other health professionals to ensure a patient’s overall well-being,”  Latinwo stated.

Despite the recognition brought by the new legislation, experts at the event noted that challenges remain. These include the need for professional development, increased government support, and the enforcement of ethical standards in medical social work, Professor Samuel  Ojima Adejoh stressed that ethical standards are the foundation of the profession.

“Without ethics, you cannot practice,” he said. “Our behaviors in practice must be regulated. We must have ethical codes guiding how we assess and intervene in patients’ lives. Ethics, accountability, and professionalism are interconnected, and without them, social work loses its credibility.”

The speakers called on the government to provide the necessary tools and resources to enable social workers to perform their duties effectively. They also encouraged practitioners to advocate for their profession and ensure that their role in healthcare is well understood and appreciated.

With the Social Work Act in place, stakeholders believe Nigerian medical social workers are better positioned to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s healthcare system. However, they stress that success will depend on continuous learning, adherence to ethical standards, and more vigorous advocacy for the profession’s growth.