Posted on: Tue 04-11-2025

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to take urgent and legitimate steps to ensure that resident doctors across the country resume work without further delay.

 

The directive follows the nationwide, indefinite strike declared on Saturday by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which has disrupted services in public hospitals nationwide.

 

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a press briefing. He expressed the government’s regret over the hardship the strike has caused Nigerians, especially patients who were unable to access medical services in the last 48 hours.

 

“On behalf of myself, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and the entire management of the ministry, we tender our unconditional apology to Nigerians,” Salako said. “Mr. President has expressly directed that we do everything possible and legitimate to ensure that resident doctors return to their duty posts immediately.”

 

Salako revealed that the ministry has been engaging NARD’s leadership to resolve the issues that led to the industrial action, noting that the association had presented 19 separate demands.

 

He traced the crisis to a July circular from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), which created divisions among health sector workers. Some unions had opposed the circular, while others supported it, prompting the ministry to request its withdrawal and review.

 

The minister explained that a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was initiated in August to harmonize negotiations across major health unions, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

 

“Between August and now, 12 meetings have been held under the CBA,” Salako said. “However, two contentious issues emerged — relativity in remuneration versus parity, and the appointment of non-doctor health workers as consultants in 2020.”

 

To address these concerns, the ministry engaged a professor of industrial relations as an external negotiator, who has since submitted an interim report. Salako said further consultations were ongoing to ensure fair and lasting solutions.

 

Despite the ongoing negotiations, he said the government had continued to meet with NARD to prevent escalation. “Ideally, there should be no industrial action while the CBA is active, but we still met with them multiple times last week. Ministers of Finance, Labour, and Productivity have also been involved. Most of their 19-point issues are being addressed,” he stated.

 

On manpower shortages, Salako announced that over 14,000 health workers were recruited in 2024, with 78 percent being clinical staff, including 908 consultants and 3,064 resident doctors. He added that recruitment for another 23,059 health workers had been approved for 2025.

 

The minister also revealed that President Tinubu had approved an increase in the retirement age for clinical health workers to 65 years, pending final administrative processes.

 

On financial matters, Salako said the government had released N21.3 billion to settle arrears, with 60 percent of resident doctors already paid. An additional N11.995 billion has been processed, while N20 billion had earlier been disbursed through the Medical Residency Training Fund and other allowances.

 

He urged journalists to verify the government’s ongoing health infrastructure upgrades across the country, noting that Tinubu’s administration remained committed to sustainable reforms in the sector.

 

“There is no slow progress,” Salako said. “We’re taking our time to ensure that every solution we agree on is sustainable. The health sector is teamwork - no cadre can work in isolation. What affects one affects the other.”

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