Nigerian Doctors Launch Nationwide Strike Over Unmet Demands
On Saturday, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) initiated a total and indefinite nationwide strike. This action comes as a response to unmet demands that have persisted for years. The decision was announced following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government.
In a press briefing on Monday, Dr Muhammad Suleiman, the President of NARD, defended the strike. He emphasized that the association had exercised patience for too long in the face of government inaction. According to him, the prolonged delay in addressing these critical issues left no other option but to take this drastic step.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to resolve the issues with the doctors and ensure they resume work immediately. However, the demands of the resident doctors remain unresolved, prompting the ongoing strike.
Key Demands of the Resident Doctors
The resident doctors have outlined a comprehensive list of demands aimed at improving their working conditions, salaries, and overall treatment within the healthcare system. These include:
- Review of Excessive and Unregulated Work Hours:Resident doctors and medical officers are subjected to dangerously long and consecutive duty hours, risking both their health and patient safety.
- Payment of Unpaid 25%/35% Upward Review Arrears of CONMESS:Arrears from the salary review due by August 2025 remain unpaid, despite government promises.
- Immediate Reinstatement of Five Resident Doctors:Five resident doctors unjustly terminated from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, should be reinstated with full payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances for the period of their disengagement.
- Payment of Promotion Arrears:Medical officers in various federal tertiary hospitals have not received their promotion arrears.
- Payment of 2024 Accoutrement Allowance:The allowance meant for 2024 has not been released, contrary to repeated assurances from the Ministry of Health.
- Clearing Bureaucratic Delays in Upgrading Resident Doctors’ Ranks:Administrative bottlenecks are delaying rank upgrades and corresponding salary adjustments after postgraduate exam success, leading to unpaid arrears.
- Payment of Specialist and Professional Allowances:Resident doctors are denied the specialist allowance despite providing specialist-level clinical care.
- Inclusion of House Officers in Civil Service Scheme:House officers face denial of civil service benefits, delayed or missing salaries, and lack of payslips or professional recognition.
- Correcting All Entry-Level Placements:New resident doctors are being wrongly placed on CONMESS 2 Step 2 instead of the rightful CONMESS 3 Step 3, reducing their pay and creating new arrears.
- Progress on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA):The review of the CONMESS salary structure has stalled for over 16 years, and disparities between CONMESS and CONHESS allowances remain unresolved.
- Release of Corrected Professional Allowances:Persistent salary shortfalls have continued for over seven years due to uncorrected professional allowances.
- Regularising All Locum Staff:Many resident doctors face long-term contract or casual employment without career progression or job security sometimes lasting up to 10 years.
- No to Downgrading of West African College Certificates by MDCN:The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) is downgrading membership certificates from the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, unlike other countries in the region.
- Issuance of Certificates by NPMCN:The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) has failed to issue membership certificates to many graduates.
- Granting Chief Executives of Hospitals Greater Autonomy:Chief executives of hospitals should have greater autonomy to employ and replace doctors who exit the system through immediate implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy, to reduce excessive workload and burnout.
- Tackling Brain Drain:Poor remuneration and working conditions continue to drive mass emigration of doctors from Nigeria.
- Urgent Upgrade and Maintenance of Infrastructure and Medical Equipment:Infrastructure and medical equipment in all healthcare facilities nationwide need urgent upgrade and maintenance to improve the quality of service delivery and training for resident doctors.
- Creation of Non-Medical Consultant Cadres:The establishment of consultant roles for non-doctors is seen as detrimental to patient care and professional standards.
- Implementation of Agreed Special Pension Benefits:The pension terms agreed in the MoU signed with the NMA on July 26, 2025, remain unimplemented.