Resident doctors commence nationwide indefinite strike over unmet demands

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has commenced a nationwide “total, comprehensive, and indefinite” strike.

Muhammad Suleiman, NARD president, announced the development in a statement released on Saturday.

The industrial action follows a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) held last week, during which members resolved to embark on the strike.

“However, this action has become inevitable, following the repeated failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria to honour its promises and implement the agreements reached with us after several rounds of dialogue, appeals, and ultimata,” Suleiman said.

The doctors are demanding fair remuneration, payment of salary arrears, improved working conditions, adequate staffing, and the provision of essential medical infrastructure.

Their concerns also include excessive workloads, which they say directly affect the quality of healthcare delivered to Nigerians.

The association is calling for a 200 percent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of the new allowances proposed in July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks hindering the replacement of exiting doctors.

“Our demands are not selfish, neither are they politically motivated. They are genuine, germane, and patriotic, centred on the survival of the Nigerian health system and the well-being of every citizen who depends on it,” the statement added.

“We fight not for personal gain, but for the creation of a system that allows resident doctors to deliver safe, effective, and compassionate care to patients in an environment that supports their mental and physical well-being.

“A resident doctor who is overworked, underpaid, and mentally exhausted cannot offer optimal care to the patient who needs them most.

“A nation’s health system can only be as strong as the hands that sustain it. If resident doctors are broken, under-motivated, or forced to seek survival abroad, the patients suffer most.

“This is why we have taken this painful stand to secure the future of Nigerian healthcare for every man, woman, and child who deserves quality care here at home.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians; our patients, civil society groups, labour unions, religious and traditional leaders, and every citizen of conscience, to stand with us. Add your voices to ours in appealing to the Federal Government to do the right thing.

“This is not a fight between resident doctors and government; it is a struggle for a functional, just, and humane healthcare system, one where your doctor can attend to you with a clear mind, a motivated spirit, and access to the tools needed to save lives.”

The association had earlier given the federal government a 30-day ultimatum over unresolved demands.

Suleiman added that the decision to embark on the strike “did not come lightly” and that the health professionals regret any disruptions to healthcare services.