Resident doctors resumed work Sunday after suspending their nationwide strike, but NARD insists key welfare issues and unpaid arrears remain unresolved, accusing government of short-changing doctors.

NARD President, Dr Osundara Tope

• Oyo Govt accused of ‘selective injustice’ at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital

• Resident doctors suspend strike, but welfare demands remain unmet

• Union warns of worsening brain drain as poor pay, manpower shortage persist

Nigeria’s health sector continues to face an existential crisis as the National President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Osundara Tope, has raised alarm over poor welfare, manpower shortages, and government’s repeated failure to honour agreements.

Speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Monday Dr. Tope lamented that the doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria has become unsustainable, leaving doctors overworked and patients underserved.

“Normally, you should have one doctor to 600 patients, but in Nigeria, we have one doctor to about 10,000 patients. This means that the workload is actually challenging and exhausting for doctors,” he said. “If you divide that figure, it thus means that the number of doctors working in Nigeria is just something in the region of 24,000 to 25,000. How best do we think the quality of service rendered can be optimal?”

The NARD president said though the recent strike by resident doctors was suspended on Saturday night, prompting members to return to work on Sunday, many of their demands remain unresolved. He confirmed that the Medical Residency Training Fund had been released but insisted that broader issues—including unpaid arrears, poor incentives, and the deteriorating state of teaching hospitals—are yet to be addressed.

Recall that NARD last week extended by 24 hours the nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Friday, following the expiration of its 10-day ultimatum for the Federal Government to meet its welfare demands.

The association warned that a full-scale strike would commence if the demands were not met within the extension window.

“We told government that we’re not limiting our demands to just the training of resident doctors. We have welfare concerns, workload concerns, and the state of teaching hospitals. Unfortunately, the last time there was a collective bargaining agreement on doctors’ salaries was over a decade ago. Ideally, salaries should be reviewed every five years to meet up with inflation and the state of the economy,” Dr. Tope stated.

On the last wage award, he accused the government of cutting corners. “Our demands on emoluments were not met because what we got was just a wage award of ₦40,000 across board. Salary structure has several components, but government unilaterally took a decision which should have been a mutual agreement. In fact, they are not even paying us what is ideal to be called a salary. It is more or less that the government is short-changing us,” he said.

He also disclosed that despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the association in July, government has failed to fulfil its commitments. “We gave seven months of salary hold since 2023 and we are in 2025. Government promised that the money would be paid by end of August, but they only paid two months out of the seven. Some people got just one month’s salary, while some were not paid at all,” he revealed.

Dr. Tope further warned that poor remuneration is fuelling brain drain in the sector. “Through the collective bargaining agreement, we are negotiating on how to retain doctors in the country because most are leaving due to poor pay. We can no longer keep quiet, especially in this harsh economy,” he said.

On long-term solutions, he urged government to significantly improve funding to health. “If there is an Abuja Declaration that says 15% of the Federal budgetary allocation should be given to health, and we are having 5%, how best can we progress? Until funding for health improves, I doubt if we can have better outcomes in our working relationship with government,” he said.

The NARD president also criticised the downgrading of doctors’ postgraduate medical certificates, describing it as counterproductive. “It is even lowering the standard of medical care in Nigeria. Rather than to reduce brain drain, it is making more people leave. If government makes it more attractive, it will be easy to retain doctors in the country,” he added.

Dr. Tope singled out the situation at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, where doctors are on strike, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde of “selective injustice.” According to him, while other doctors in Oyo State hospitals have been properly placed, their colleagues at LAUTECH remain deprived of due benefits. “If the government fails to address these issues within 15 days, we will tell our members to go on indefinite industrial disharmony in solidarity with LAUTECH doctors,” he warned.

Meanwhile, governance advocates such as Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Governance, Ayodeji Ologun, have called for balance. Ologun argued that while government must meet its obligations to doctors, the national interest and minimum wage framework must also be preserved.

Both stakeholders agreed that unless urgent reforms are implemented, the collapse of Nigeria’s healthcare system will worsen the already fragile economy and push more doctors out of the country.