Impact Factor(JCC): 1.5432- This article can be downloaded from www.impactjournals.us IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Business Management (IMPACT: IJRBM) ISSN(E): 2321-886X; ISSN(P): 2347-4572 Vol. 3, Issue 11, Nov 2015, 95-110 © Impact Journals APPLICATION OF EQUITY THEORY ON SKILLED MANPOWER RETENTION: A STUDY OF MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS IN PUBLIC SPECIALIST HOSPITALS IN ENUGU METROPOLIS, NIGERIA MAMAH, AUGUSTINE AIK & ULO, FABIAN U Research Scholar, Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Studies Ebonyi, State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria ABSTRACT Verifiable evidences abound, which show that as at today there are many more patients than there are medical practitioners in an unbalanced proportion in public health institutions in Nigeria, and therefore, could be described as unhealthy to the health of Nigerian citizens. Evidences also show that there are high rate of attrition among the medical practitioners in Nigeria due to job dissatisfaction in their workplaces. Therefore, a call for means that can be used in retaining these key personnel that are required in the provision of health services to her citizens should be seen as a necessity. This paper is set out to examine the applicability of equity theory on skilled manpower retention in Nigerian public specialist hospitals. A descriptive survey research was adopted for the study, and correctional design as its method was used for analysis. Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency. The entire populations of 226 medical practitioners were studied, which also formed the sample size. The study is quite significant to the owners, employers and mangers of Nigerian public health institutions, most especially, at this time there is a general growing resentment on salary disparity among the health service employees of states government on one hand, and the federal government, on the other hand. This perceived salary disparity between the two major government health-service providers could contribute for the observed job dissatisfaction among the medical practitioners, more especially, among the state owned health service institutions. The study found strong relationships between job satisfaction as provided by equity theory and the respondent’s decision to stay with the current organizations. KEYWORDS: Equity Theory Skilled Manpower Retention Medical Practitioners Public Specialist Hospitals Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria INTRODUCTION Background of the Study One, irrespective of organization or management based discipline or school of taught, could imagine the costs associated with staffing processes in organizations. The costs could arise from planning to implementation stages through recruitment and selection, training and development, integration and replacements, etc. This may strongly suggest that the reasons and directions of such costs should naturally attract the attention of organizations that strive for growth, survival, and competitive edge. An issue which could be said to be striking, and therefore, needs more attention is when the employees whom so much have been spent upon embark on voluntary withdrawal from their organizations, even at the