Although the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its one-month-old nationwide strike, it warned that the action will resume if the federal government fails to fully implement all agreements reached during recent conciliatory meetings.
This is according to a communiqué released on Monday, following an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held on Saturday to review the government’s response to its 19-point demands.
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NARD said the strike, which began on 1 November, became necessary after years of unfulfilled agreements and the government’s failure to act on critical issues affecting residency training, hospital infrastructure and workforce shortages.
The association noted that while some progress has been recorded, several commitments remain either partially implemented or stalled.
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These include accumulated salary arrears, unpaid allowances, manpower deficits, prolonged work hours, unresolved pension matters, and structural issues affecting resident doctors across federal and state health institutions.
A key concern raised in the communiqué is the slow action on special pension benefits “as agreed with the Nigerian Medical Association in the MoU of 26 July 2025”.
NARD also stated that progress on other issues previously agreed under the MoU had been noted but remained inadequate.
The association highlighted the unresolved cases of unpaid salaries and allowance arrears in multiple tertiary centres, worsening infrastructure in teaching hospitals, and the need for urgent government action on obsolete equipment and poor power supply.
Partial progress acknowledged
The communiqué confirmed that the government had begun settling arrears from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), with payments made up to December 2023.
However, NARD said the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) must immediately reconcile failed or omitted payments.
It noted progress in the payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance and welcomed directives from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) on specialist allowance for resident doctors on CONMESS 5.
On the case of the five resident doctors disengaged from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, NARD said a ministerial committee had submitted its report and that implementation of its recommendations must commence within two weeks from 27 November.
The association also cited the release of a federal advisory discouraging prolonged call duty hours and mandating consultants to assume greater responsibility in service delivery.
A Central Taskforce Committee involving key health stakeholders is expected to produce a national policy on duty hours and locum engagement within two months.
Fresh deadlines and demands
NARD demanded the transmission of all outstanding salary and allowance arrears owed to resident doctors in the Federal University Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo (FUHSTH), Federal Medical Centre, Owo (FMC), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife (OAUTHC) and University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) to the Budget Office and the Minister of Finance for immediate payment within one month.
It also insisted on the activation of the Central Taskforce Committee on duty hours, the correction of entry-level placement for newly employed resident doctors, the revival of the stalled Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process, and the implementation of the one-to-one replacement policy to address manpower shortages.
The communiqué further directed resident doctors in state and federal institutions with unresolved local issues to continue their industrial action until their managements or state governments demonstrate genuine commitment to resolving their concerns.
Strike suspended, but ultimatum remains
After deliberation, NARD resolved to suspend the nationwide strike for four weeks, giving the government time to fulfil its obligations.
It warned, however, that the suspension would be lifted if the government fails to meet all agreed demands within the stipulated period.
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“The failure by the government to implement the aforementioned agreed demands fully will result in the resumption of the total, indefinite and comprehensive strike,” the communiqué stated.
NARD expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, senior cabinet officials, the National Assembly leadership, regulatory bodies, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the media for their roles in facilitating the conciliatory process.
Impact on patients
This year’s strike is one of the longest and most disruptive resident doctors’ actions in recent years.
Over the past month, PREMIUM TIMES has repeatedly reported how patients across federal and state hospitals have borne the harshest consequences.
At major teaching hospitals in Abuja, Lagos, and Kaduna, patients scheduled for appointments were turned back or placed on indefinite waiting lists.
Several wards operated skeletal services, with consultants overstretched and many departments temporarily shutting down clinics.
Resident doctors make up the bulk of medical personnel in Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals, which means health services are significantly crippled whenever they withdraw their services.
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