Nigeria’s Resident doctors announce new call limits, decry burnout

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The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced new limits to the length of call duties its members can undertake, citing exhaustion, burnout, and preventable deaths among colleagues.

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The association, in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, noted that the decision, which took effect on Wednesday, 1 October was reached at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and is intended to safeguard doctors from the punishing workloads that threaten their health and compromise patient safety.

Under the new rule, resident doctors will no longer take continuous calls beyond 24 hours and must observe a mandatory call-free period after each shift.

“This decision is not just necessary but vital, in line with the principles of self-preservation enshrined in the Hippocratic Oath,” the statement read.

Crushing workload, subverting rights

According to NARD, Nigeria, with a population of over 240 million people, has only about 11,000 resident doctors, a ratio of 1:9,083, far below global best practice.

The association said doctors work an average of 106.5 hours a week, while surgical residents put in more than 122.7 hours weekly, translating into four to five days of 24-hour call duty.

It warned that such conditions have had devastating consequences, subverting doctors’ rights to rest and undermining patient safety due to fatigue-related errors.

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The toll, it added, has been tragically evident in the deaths of early-career doctors who succumb to stress and exhaustion while serving patients.

NARD urged the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to urgently intervene to ease the burden on doctors.

The association said a one-to-one replacement policy is needed to reduce excessive workloads, while clear regulations should be established to curb prolonged call hours and guarantee safer conditions for both doctors and patients.

It stressed that resident doctors who have chosen to remain in Nigeria despite the wave of migration should be recognised as patriots and provided with protection, fair remuneration and improved working conditions.

In April, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed that Nigeria has lost more than 16,000 doctors in the past five years, as many left for better opportunities abroad.

Mr Pate said the exodus has cost the country billions of naira.

READ ALSO: Nigeria@65: Nigerian doctors list failures, reforms needed in health sector

Reflection on Independence

NARD also used the occasion of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary to reflect on the sacrifices of resident doctors.

“While the nation celebrates, we quietly bury our colleagues as the country watches in silence,” the statement said.

The association, however, congratulated Nigerians on the country’s Independence Anniversary and expressed hope for greater progress.