Resident doctors fault FG’s welfare claims, insist strike continues
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has faulted claims by the federal government that it has addressed doctors’ welfare and other demands, insisting that its nationwide indefinite strike will continue until their demands are met.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by its President, Mohammad Suleiman, NARD said the recent press release by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare “does not reflect the reality on the ground.”
The association accused the ministry of misinforming President Bola Tinubu and the public about the true state of issues affecting doctors.
“The reality on the ground stands in stark contrast to the optimistic narrative conveyed,” NARD said. “For the sake of transparency, truth, and the health of Nigerians, it is imperative to set the records straight.”
The doctors’ union, which declared an indefinite strike on Saturday, listed 19 unresolved demands it said the government has failed to meet.
The demands include payment of arrears, salary shortfalls, promotion delays, irregularities with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and poor working conditions across federal hospitals.
Arrears and allowances
While acknowledging the government’s claim that over N30 billion has been released to offset arrears owed to health workers, NARD said doctors have received only a fraction of the total sum and that many members are yet to be paid.
“These arrears, comprising 25 per cent and 35 per cent CONMESS review, accoutrement allowance, promotion arrears, upgrade arrears, and other entitlements, have lingered for the last five years,” the association said.
“While we appreciate efforts that led to partial payments, many of our members have not received the full payment of these accrued arrears.”
The association also dismissed the government’s explanation that administrative challenges within IPPIS are responsible for delayed or incomplete payments.
NARD described IPPIS as “a tool of frustration,” citing recent salary shortfalls of between N50,000 and N100,000 among resident doctors in October alone.
Issues with recruitment
NARD questioned the ministry’s claim that 20,000 health workers were recruited in 2024 and that another 15,000 have been approved for employment in 2025.
It demanded a breakdown of how many of these recruits were doctors and how many have remained in the system.
“We challenge the Ministry to publish disaggregated data showing how many of these recruited healthcare workers are doctors,” it said.
“Nigeria’s active pool of resident doctors has dropped from 15,000 to 16,000 a decade ago to barely 9,000 to 10,000 today, despite a growing disease burden.”
The association said the root cause of the country’s health workforce crisis is poor remuneration and unsafe working conditions, not recruitment figures. “What we need is retention, not rhetoric,” it stated.
Other unresolved issues
NARD also accused the government of failing to resolve issues around promotion arrears and professional upgrades.
It said many doctors have waited over five years for promotion arrears despite being duly qualified and approved.
It further demanded the immediate reinstatement of five doctors dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja. While the health ministry said three of them would be reabsorbed and the remaining two cases reviewed within four weeks, NARD described the decision as “selective justice” that would prolong the strike.
On the government’s clarification that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) merely reclassified, rather than downgraded certificates from the West African Postgraduate Medical College, the association said the move had demoralised doctors who “sacrifice immensely” to pass rigorous postgraduate examinations.
Specialist allowance
While it appreciated the release of N10.6 billion for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), NARD stressed that the fund “is a statutory right, not a privilege.”
It called for the MRTF to be reviewed to reflect current economic realities.
The union also demanded that resident doctors be included among beneficiaries of the specialist allowance, saying they render specialist-level services daily but continue to be excluded.
NARD acknowledged the government’s appointment of an industrial relations expert, Dafe Otobo, to mediate ongoing collective bargaining discussions with health unions.
However, it warned that the process “must not become another open-ended exercise.”
“We insist that the process should have a clear timeline and deliverables, ensuring the implementation of agreements before the 2026 budget approval,” the association stated.
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The association said its industrial action goes beyond financial issues, describing it as a fight for dignity, safety, and the survival of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
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“Our struggle transcends money. It is about dignity, safety, and survival,” it said. “Nigerian doctors work in hazardous environments, often collapsing from exhaustion without compensation or recognition.”
NARD urged Nigerians to understand the motivation behind the strike, saying it is not an act against the public but a demand for a functional health system.
“This strike is not against the people; it is for the survival of our doctors, patients, and healthcare system,” the statement concluded. “Industrial peace cannot be achieved through press statements but through justice, sincerity, and respect for agreements.”
The government had earlier announced that N11.9 billion would be released within 72 hours for the payment of outstanding arrears, including accoutrement allowance, as part of efforts to restore industrial harmony.
It also said over N10 billion had already been paid in August and N10.6 billion disbursed for the 2025 MRTF.
However, with NARD’s latest position, the strike that began on Saturday midnight is expected to continue until further notice.