With less than a week to the expiration of its 30-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has listed 19 outstanding welfare and administrative issues affecting its members nationwide.
In a communiqué issued after its Annual General Meeting in Katsina State and signed by the Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, NARD disclosed frustration over what it described as government’s slow response to critical matters impacting doctors’ welfare, training, and patient care.
The association lamented that resident doctors and medical officers across the country are enduring "unregulated work hours and prolonged call duties," which it warned have become "unsustainable" and dangerous to both doctors’ health and patient safety. "Some doctors have paid the supreme price while at work," the communiqué stated.
Among the unresolved issues, NARD listed the non-payment of the outstanding 25 and 35 per cent arrears from the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which it said should have been cleared by August 2025.
It also decried the dismissal of five resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, describing the action as unjust, especially amid increasing burnout and the ongoing wave of medical emigration, popularly known as the Japa syndrome.
The association further accused the Federal Ministry of Health of failing to pay the 2024 accoutrement allowance and promotion arrears, while also introducing new bureaucratic bottlenecks that have delayed the upgrading of resident doctors after passing their postgraduate medical examinations.
According to NARD, several doctors have yet to be placed on the appropriate salary grade for their new ranks, resulting in unpaid arrears and distorted salary structures.
It also faulted the continued exclusion of resident doctors from the specialist allowance, despite their crucial role in delivering advanced medical care.
The communiqué condemned the "casualisation" of medical workers in federal hospitals, saying some have been denied career progression for nearly a decade.
It also accused the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria of "downgrading membership certificates" issued by the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, a move the group described as inconsistent with regional standards.
NARD equally condemned the delay by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria in issuing membership certificates to qualified doctors, as well as the failure of many hospitals to replace personnel who have left, leading to increased workload and worsening burnout among remaining staff.
The association cited deteriorating infrastructure and obsolete equipment in several hospitals as another factor hampering quality healthcare delivery and training.
Also, it rejected the creation of consultant cadres for non-medical doctors, calling it professionally inappropriate and detrimental to patient care.
Reiterating its demands, NARD urged the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the Nigerian Medical Association on special pension benefits, as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed on July 26, 2025.
The doctors’ body warned that if the listed grievances are not addressed before the 30-day ultimatum expires, it may be forced to take further industrial action to protect the interests and welfare of its members.
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