Persistent Industrial Action by Medical Practitioners in Nigeria
Industrial action by medical practitioners in Nigeria continues to be a significant challenge, creating a persistent disruption in the healthcare sector. The ongoing strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has led to conflicting narratives and accusations, which have stalled progress toward resolving the issue. This deadlock poses a serious threat to an already struggling healthcare system.
The strike has placed the entire public health system at risk, a situation that Nigerians cannot afford. The Joint Health Sector Union, comprising key health unions, has joined the industrial action, further escalating the crisis. For weeks, patients and families have faced the agony of being denied access to essential healthcare services, even in critical cases, due to the absence of doctors. This is a disgraceful state of affairs.
The strike has paralyzed 91 hospitals, including federal teaching hospitals, specialist institutions, and federal medical centers, disrupting medical services across the country. Nigeria must not become another Gaza, where healthcare systems are in complete disarray.
The Government’s Responsibility
The government must demonstrate sincerity and commitment in addressing the contentious issues at hand while ensuring that resident doctors and other medical practitioners act ethically. It is the government’s responsibility to comprehensively address the doctors’ demands and bring them back to work for the public interest.
Sound public health systems are intrinsically linked to both personal wealth and national economic prosperity. Therefore, they must be prioritized. The NARD declared a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike effective October 31 after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government and a five-day warning strike on September 12, which was suspended within 24 hours.
NARD President, Mohammad Suleiman, stated that the indefinite strike is about long-standing demands. The doctors’ 19-point demand includes tackling the brain drain in the sector, urgent upgrades and maintenance of infrastructure and medical equipment, and welfare improvements.
Brain Drain and Its Consequences
The brain drain syndrome worsens each year. According to NARD, Nigeria lost 18,949 doctors to the brain drain between 2005 and 2024 due to poor welfare, inadequate equipment, and insecurity. In 2024 alone, Nigeria lost 4,193 doctors to countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
This exodus has left the healthcare system in shambles. The Nigerian Medical Association estimates that Nigeria has a doctor-to-patient ratio of between 1:3,474 and 1:10,000, far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 1:600. This results in burnout for medical practitioners, with some even dying on duty.
Experts estimate that over 60% of Nigerian doctors practice abroad. The PUNCH reports that health workers’ migration overseas surged by 200% across all cadres between 2023 and 2024. To escape the mess, the elite resort to medical tourism in India, Europe, the US, and the Middle East, while most Nigerians cannot afford basic treatments.
Government Claims and NARD’s Refutation
In its defense, the Minister of State for Health and Social Services, Adekunle Salako, claimed that the government has addressed most of the 19-point demands of the NARD. He mentioned that the two major demands—rescinding the approval of non-doctors to the consultant cadre and withdrawing a circular regarding salary increments—have been resolved.
Salako also highlighted the engagement of 14,444 health workers across 64 federal tertiary health institutions in 2024, with 78% being clinical staff, including 908 consultants. However, the NARD refuted these claims, stating that a review by the Extra-Ordinary National Executive Council confirmed that none of its core demands had been met.
The NARD emphasized that the government’s claims are unfulfilled promises, non-commenced payments, and newly formed committees—a cycle of delay and deception that prompted the strike in the first place. The NARD remains open to “results-oriented dialogue” but insists that the strike will continue until its minimum demands are met.
Urgent Need for Reform
The grim state of the health sector and the appalling conditions of doctors are not matters for accusations and counter-accusations but require urgent and sincere action. Patients suffer the most, especially the indigent who cannot afford private hospital costs and resort to spiritualism and quack treatments that often worsen their conditions.
The Ali Pate-led Federal Ministry of Health should heed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to ensure that doctors return to their duty posts. The country’s healthcare delivery system is near total collapse, with primary healthcare centers lacking facilities to treat minor ailments and tertiary hospitals short-staffed.
While Nigeria refuses to prioritize health, allocating a paltry percentage of the budget annually, other nations like the US and UK allocate significantly higher percentages. Nigeria’s average health budget hovers around 4.0 to 6.0 percent of the total, far below the 15% agreed upon by African countries in 2001.
Conclusion
The government’s lackadaisical attitude toward healthcare delivery keeps Nigerians’ lives hanging in the balance. Life expectancy in the country is approximately 56.05 years, far below the global average. There is an urgent need to reform the health sector, replace outdated infrastructure, and prioritize the welfare of doctors and other health workers.
If the government can find money for fleets of armoured SUVs, it must find money for MRI scanners. The Federal Government should wean itself from unmet agreements that have eroded its credibility. The NARD demands concern for policy, welfare, and longstanding agreements to revamp the health sector.
A country’s wealth is measured by the health and well-being of its people. The government must urgently heed the demands of the doctors and health workers in the national interest.
