Resident doctors warn of imminent collapse of healthcare system, urge Tinubu’s intervention

Nigeria’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, as health workers are yet to receive the salaries, allowances, and welfare packages promised by the federal government, resident doctors said, while appealing to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and address the situation.

Resident doctors, who constitute the bulk of Nigeria’s healthcare workforce, decried the current situation, describing it as a national emergency and a matter of national security.

In an open letter to the President titled, ‘A passionate appeal to the Commander-in-Chief of the Federation’ signed by Mohammad Suleiman, president, Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the association urged the president to ignore statements that doctors’ demands have been addressed.

According to the association, the statement is not accurate as the reality in hospitals tell a different story of struggling doctors who are denied basic legitimate entitlements, despite several signed agreements and repeated assurances from government representatives.

Meanwhile the resident doctors have already begun ward rounds and patient handovers in preparation for a planned nationwide, total, and indefinite strike beginning on Saturday, 1 November 2025.

The letter read, “Your Excellency Sir,
Warm greetings to you from the entire body of Resident Doctors in Nigeria; a vital group of young medical professionals who provide specialist care and constitute a significant portion of the nation’s healthcare workforce.

“We write to you today with deep concern and a profound sense of duty to draw your urgent attention to the worsening state of Nigeria’s health sector. Our healthcare system, Sir, is on the verge of collapse, a situation that has now assumed the dimensions of a national emergency and a matter of national security.

“Your Excellency, we are aware that some individuals around you may have assured you that the challenges facing resident doctors have been resolved. Respectfully, Sir, that information is not accurate. Our realities in the hospitals across Nigeria tell a different story. Many of our members are yet to receive their legitimate entitlements, despite several signed agreements and repeated assurances from government representatives.

“We are not politicians. We are doctors; men and women devoted to saving lives, working long hours in often harsh and under-resourced conditions. Our appeal is simple and sincere: we seek not luxuries, but the basic salaries, allowances, and welfare packages that have already been approved and promised by government.

“Sadly, while many in privileged positions continue to receive their full emoluments without delay, the frontline doctors who shoulder the burden of patient care are left struggling. This inequity is demoralizing and threatens the very foundation of our healthcare delivery system.

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“Mr. President, you have always been known for your compassion, fairness, and courage in addressing difficult national challenges. We therefore appeal to your fatherly leadership to personally intervene and resolve the long-standing 19-point demands of the Nigerian Resident Doctors in order to restore hope, trust, and stability to our health sector.

“We believe that under your decisive leadership, Nigeria’s health system can once again stand strong to serve our people with dignity and save countless lives.

“May God grant you the wisdom, strength, and goodwill to act swiftly in the interest of all Nigerians. Thank you Your Excellency for your kind attention and anticipated action.”