Posted on: Sun 16-11-2025

Nigeria’s healthcare system is in turmoil as the nationwide strike by resident doctors enters its third week, leaving thousands of patients stranded and desperate. From Abuja to Ibadan, Uyo to Makurdi, and across major teaching hospitals, the situation has become dire. Families are groaning under the weight of uncertainty, and many have resorted to self-medication or costly private care as government hospitals remain paralyzed.

The strike, led by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), affects 91 federal and state-owned hospitals. Doctors are demanding improved welfare, better working conditions, and urgent attention to decaying hospital infrastructure. But as negotiations drag on, the human cost continues to mount.

In Abuja, the National Hospital and Federal Medical Centre have become shadows of themselves. Caregivers recount heartbreaking stories of patients turned away. Zuwaira Sauki, who traveled from Keffi with her husband, said she was forced to seek treatment in a private clinic at an exorbitant cost. “This is the third time we are caught in this web of strikes. Each time, lives are lost. These deaths are avoidable,” she lamented.

At the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, the usually bustling Accident and Emergency Department is eerily quiet. Beds lie empty, and corridors that once echoed with urgency now feel abandoned. Some patients with critical conditions were lucky to receive skeletal care from consultants and nurses, but many others were rejected. A civil servant, John Ogunleye, expressed his frustration: “I came for outpatient care, but was turned back. Now I have to spend more money at a private hospital.”

The story is the same in Uyo, Makurdi, Umuahia, and Enugu. At the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, nurses and senior doctors volunteer to treat patients already admitted before the strike began. But the workload is overwhelming. “Some patients cry through the night in pain, waiting for a doctor who may never come,” a relative said.

In Benue State, patients at the Federal Medical Centre and Benue State University Teaching Hospital are leaving in droves. Many are heading to pharmacies for drugs, unable to afford private hospitals. Mrs Margareth Akoji, whose baby fell ill, said she was disappointed after waiting all night for a doctor who never came. “We didn’t sleep last night. Now I’m rushing to buy drugs,” she said.

The situation is heartbreaking in Abia and Enugu, where patients were abruptly discharged. Isaac Okorie’s father was responding well to treatment before being sent home. “We now rely on self-medication at great risk,” he said. At the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Ndubuisi Anigbo fears his condition may worsen. “I’m begging the government to act. We are dying here,” he cried.

In Bayelsa, the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital has discharged patients mid-treatment. Josiah Benemu, scheduled for surgery, now faces uncertainty. “I was told to go home because the surgery was canceled. I’m hopeless,” he said.

Resident doctors argue that the strike is a last resort. Dr Happy Adedapo, NMA Chairman in Oyo State, insists doctors are not callous. “The government has failed to implement the new minimum wage adjustment for doctors. We cannot continue under these conditions,” he said.

As the strike persists, the consequences are devastating. Patients are suffering, families are in distress, and the health system is on the brink of collapse. Will the government act before more lives are lost? Or will this crisis expose the fragility of Nigeria’s healthcare system once and for all?

Stay tuned for updates as this story unfolds. The question remains: how many more lives will be sacrificed before a solution is found?

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