Tension In Health Sector As Resident Doctors Warn Of Imminent Strike Over 19 Unresolved Demands

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has expressed deep concern over the Federal Government’s continued failure to address key welfare and administrative issues affecting its members across the country, as the 30-day ultimatum issued to authorities draws close to its expiration.

According to Ireporter Online, the association, in a communiqué released after its Annual General Meeting in Katsina State and signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, listed 19 unresolved demands that have left resident doctors frustrated and overworked. The communiqué revealed that many doctors are being subjected to unregulated working hours and prolonged call duties, which it described as “unsustainable” and hazardous to their well-being.

The union lamented that the unbearable working conditions have already led to the loss of lives among medical practitioners, stressing that some doctors “have paid the supreme price while on duty.”

NARD also condemned the government’s failure to clear the outstanding 25 and 35 per cent upward review arrears of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which should have been settled since August 2025. It noted that other unpaid benefits, including salary arrears, promotion entitlements, and the 2024 accoutrement allowance, remain unaddressed despite numerous engagements with relevant authorities.

The association further decried the exclusion of resident doctors from the specialist allowance and criticised the dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, describing the move as “unjust” and counterproductive to efforts aimed at tackling the worsening “Japa syndrome” in the health sector.

NARD also faulted the introduction of bureaucratic delays in upgrading doctors who have passed their postgraduate examinations, which it said had resulted in salary stagnation and arrears. It raised alarm over the “casualisation” of doctors in federal hospitals, noting that some have been denied career advancement for as long as a decade.

The communiqué further condemned the wrongful placement of new resident doctors on lower salary grades, contrary to the corrected structure approved in 2014. It accused the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria of downgrading membership certificates issued by the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, a move inconsistent with practices across the region.

Additionally, the association criticised the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria for delays in issuing membership certificates, saying such administrative inefficiencies hinder professional progress.

NARD expressed worry over the deteriorating state of hospital infrastructure and equipment nationwide, warning that the decline was undermining both patient care and medical training. It linked the ongoing brain drain in the sector to poor remuneration, poor working conditions, and the government’s failure to replace doctors who have exited the system.

Reaffirming its 30-day ultimatum, the association called for the immediate implementation of the special pension benefits earlier agreed upon with the Nigerian Medical Association in a Memorandum of Understanding signed on July 26, 2025. NARD urged the government to act swiftly to avert another round of industrial action, warning that continued neglect could plunge the nation’s healthcare system into deeper crisis.