With just six days remaining before its 30-day ultimatum to the Federal Government expires, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has outlined 19 unresolved welfare and administrative issues affecting its members nationwide.
In a communiqué released to The Guardian on Monday and signed by its Secretary General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, NARD stated that these resolutions were drawn from discussions at its Annual General Meeting in Katsina State.
The association highlighted that resident doctors and medical officers across Nigeria are “currently enduring unregulated work hours and prolonged call duty hours.” It described the situation as “unsustainable” and warned that it poses serious risks to both doctors’ well-being and patient safety, noting that “some doctors have paid the supreme price while at work.”
NARD raised concerns over the “non-payment of the outstanding 25 and 35 per cent upward review arrears of CONMESS,” which should have been fully settled by August 2025, alongside other salary arrears, despite several engagements with the government.
The group also criticised what it described as the “unjust dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja,” calling it “particularly worrisome amid widespread burnout and the ongoing brain drain (Japa syndrome).”
According to the communiqué, many medical officers have yet to receive their promotion arrears, and the 2024 accoutrement allowance remains unpaid “despite repeated assurances by the Federal Ministry of Health.” NARD also highlighted “newly created bureaucratic bottlenecks hindering the timely upgrade of resident doctors following postgraduate medical examinations,” which has delayed proper placement on salary scales and caused non-payment of arrears.
The association further stated that resident doctors have been excluded from the “specialist allowance” despite their “vital and central role in the delivery of specialist care to patients across the country.” Additionally, medical and dental house officers have been left out of the civil service scheme, denying them pay slips, professional recognition, and timely salaries.
NARD also pointed to the “slow progress in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Nigerian Medical Association and the Federal Government,” particularly the long-overdue review of the CONMESS salary structure, which has remained untouched for over 16 years. The group noted “the deliberate downgrading of the entry level of newly employed resident doctors from CONMESS 3 Step 3 to CONMESS 2 Step 2,” which has recurred in some federal hospitals, resulting in salary shortages and new arrears.
Other challenges highlighted include the “non-release of corrected professional allowances,” causing “persistent salary shortfalls spanning more than seven years,” and the “continued casualisation of medical workers” in federal hospitals, leaving many doctors without career progression for up to a decade.
NARD also accused the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria of “downgrading and re-categorising membership certificates issued by the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons,” calling it inconsistent with practices in other West African countries. The association noted that the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria continues to delay the issuance of membership certificates to deserving doctors, which NARD said must be urgently addressed.
The communiqué further raised concerns about hospitals failing to replace departed doctors, which has increased workloads for remaining staff and worsened burnout. The association described the “escalating brain drain in the Nigerian health sector, driven by poor working conditions and inadequate remuneration,” as a serious threat to healthcare delivery.
Infrastructure deficiencies and outdated equipment in many healthcare facilities were also highlighted as factors negatively affecting patient care and the training of resident doctors. NARD additionally criticised the “creation of consultant cadres for non-medical doctors within the health sector,” calling it “a source of professional concern that is not in the best interest of patient care.”
Finally, the association called on the Federal Government to implement the “agreed special pension benefits as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Nigerian Medical Association on July 26, 2025.”
NARD emphasised that the issues highlighted in the communiqué reflect the key outcomes of its AGM deliberations and reaffirmed its demand for urgent government action before the 30-day ultimatum expires.
