Strike: Doctors in marathon meeting

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Wednesday held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to determine its next line of action on a pending ultimatum to the federal government. The association had earlier issued a 10-day ultimatum to relevant government agencies, warning that members would embark on a nationwide strike if their demands […]

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Wednesday held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to determine its next line of action on a pending ultimatum to the federal government.

The association had earlier issued a 10-day ultimatum to relevant government agencies, warning that members would embark on a nationwide strike if their demands were not met.

This comes amid the strike by resident doctors in Abuja and Oyo State.

Resident doctors, who constitute the majority of the medical workforce in teaching and specialist hospitals, have repeatedly gone on strike in recent years over unpaid wages, poor welfare, and inadequate working conditions.

Speaking during an interview in March, President of NARD, Dr Tope Osundara, said NARD’s membership was 11,899, representing approximately 40% of all Nigerian doctors.

 

Resident doctors’ demands

The doctors are demanding immediate payment of the outstanding 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, settlement of five months’ arrears from the 25–35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure review, and other long-standing salary backlogs.

Others are the payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears, prompt disbursement of specialist allowances, and restoration of the recognition of the West African postgraduate membership certificates.

They also called on the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to issue membership certificates to all deserving candidates, implement the 2024 CONMESS, resolve outstanding welfare issues in Kaduna State, and address the plight of resident doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

Daily Trust reports that units such as operating rooms, emergency departments, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), wards, specialized clinics, diagnostic imaging, and laboratories in district hospitals and primary health care centres across the country would be affected by the industrial action.

As of press time last night, the doctors’ meeting was still ongoing.

 

Brain drain, poor equipment crippling hospitals – Experts

Meanwhile, in separate interviews with Daily Trust, medical practitioners raised alarm over the deteriorating state of the nation’s healthcare system.

They warned that the combined effects of brain drain, obsolete equipment, and poor welfare are pushing doctors out of the country.

One of the doctors described the situation as a system in crisis.

“Everyone knows the situation — why brain drain is worsening by the day,” said Bello Malik, a public health physician.

According to him, young doctors are leaving the country at an unprecedented rate.

“They are no longer waiting to finish their house jobs before making plans to leave. They complete their training, write their exams, and head straight for the United States or the United Kingdom.

“They will go to any length to achieve this because the system gives them little reason to stay,” he said.

Another medical practitioner, Kehinde Olayinka, faulted the government for allowing hospitals to decay, saying many facilities operate with outdated machines.

“Our hospitals are in shambles. Some of the equipment in use today is over 20 to 25 years old.

“Spare parts for CT scanners and MRI machines are no longer available, yet technicians keep improvising just to keep them running,” he explained.

He noted that the lack of equipment forces Nigerian doctors to improvise in unsafe ways. “If there is no drainage bottle, we use a urine bag. If a proper catheter is unavailable, we substitute with an eye catheter.

“Nigerian doctors have been reduced to making something out of nothing,” he said.

He also expressed frustration over poor motivation in the system.

“Promotions are delayed for years, and even when they come, allowances are either unpaid or only partially recognized. Someone due for promotion in 2016 may only be confirmed years later, but their arrears will not be fully paid. This leaves health workers frustrated and demoralized,” he said.

He warned that piecemeal interventions would not solve the crisis.

“The system is broken. What is needed is not cosmetic fixes but a full surgical overhaul. Healthcare, like education, must be properly funded. Otherwise, people will continue to leave,” one doctor said.

 

Nigeria risks losing more doctors without better pay, conditions – Prof

Speaking to Daily Trust, a former Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, warned that Nigeria will continue to lose doctors to other countries unless the government improves their remuneration and working conditions.

Musa-Olomu, a professor of surgery at the University of Ilorin, said poor pay, lack of infrastructure, and overwhelming workload are driving doctors abroad.

“One of the greatest challenges we face is the shortage of doctors. They are simply not appealing to the system as it stands,” he said.

He recalled how FMC Abeokuta was once granted a waiver to employ 100 doctors and 100 nurses, but could not meet the target.

“It was an extremely difficult period — nearly three months of searching, yet the doctors never came. Nurses would join for a short while, then leave for opportunities abroad. We never reached the target of 100 doctors; at best, we had 36, and at one point, only four were available,” he said.

According to him, many of those who joined “used FMC as a stepping stone to leave the country. After two to three months, our numbers would drop again. This instability makes it almost impossible to provide consistent care.”

The professor stressed that the government must offer competitive pay if it expects doctors to remain in the system.

“We currently have only one pediatric surgeon at FMC. The workload is overwhelming — sometimes 30 to 50 circumcisions are expected in a short period. One surgeon cannot cope with that alone. We urgently need more doctors, residents, and consultants,” he explained.

Musa-Olomu lamented the disparity in doctors’ earnings compared to other countries.

“As a professor, I now earn about N490,000 from the university and N300,000 from the hospital — less than N800,000 in total. Compare that to colleagues abroad, earning N12 million in Saudi Arabia. The disparity is staggering and explains why many leave,” he said.

He added that countries like the United States faced similar challenges in the 1990s but addressed them by paying doctors better, while Nigeria has failed to do so.

The former FMC boss also decried poor hospital infrastructure, particularly unstable electricity.

“Many hospitals operate in darkness due to unpaid electricity bills running into tens of millions. Operations are postponed or canceled because there is no power. Promises have been made to provide stable electricity to hospitals, but implementation has been poor,” he said.

On the workload, he noted that a single doctor may see up to 40 patients in the clinic, handle emergencies, operate in the theatre, and still be expected to monitor patients afterward.

“In countries like India, senior doctors remain with patients around the clock if complications arise. Here, one overstretched doctor is left to manage everything,” Musa-Olomu said.

He stressed that while other sectors deserve attention, the health sector must be prioritized.

“Doctors and nurses should be properly remunerated, infrastructure must be improved, and enough staff must be employed to reduce the unbearable workload. Otherwise, increasing admissions into medical schools will only produce graduates who immediately leave for the UK, the US, or elsewhere,” he said.

 

Nigeria facing health, education emergency – Medical Academy

The Nigerian Academy of Medicine (NAMed) has warned of a deepening crisis in the country’s health and education sectors, citing chronic underfunding and weak institutional structures.

At the Academy’s 2025 Annual Lecture, Induction Ceremony, and Scientific Conference in Abuja, outgoing president, Emeritus Professor Samuel Ohaegbulam, said many hospitals lack basic diagnostic tools such as CT and MRI machines, while health workers are leaving in droves due to poor pay and working conditions.

“Can we blame them when they are offered $15,000 a month abroad while struggling to survive at home?” he asked.

He also decried the inefficiency of the national health insurance scheme, noting that only 2–5% of Nigerians are covered despite existing laws.

On education, Ohaegbulam criticised the unchecked growth of universities and medical colleges without adequate quality control.

He further lamented the suspension of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) Award for three years, describing it as a painful symbol of the country’s declining recognition of excellence.

Former Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole, added that President Bola Tinubu has assured his readiness to strengthen the system, including improving health workers’ remuneration to curb migration.