Hauwa Ali
In the early hours of November 1, across Nigeria—from Abuja to Lagos—teaching hospitals and federal medical centres awoke to empty doctors’ lounges and idle operating theatres. At exactly midnight, the Doctors Strike commenced nationwide, led by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), bringing much of the public healthcare system to a halt.
For a health system already under pressure, the timing could not have been worse. Emergency rooms dependent on resident doctors began shutting down elective surgeries. Outpatient clinics went dark. Families who rely on government hospitals found themselves stranded, with no immediate alternatives. The consequences are unfolding rapidly, exposing the deeper crisis in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
NARD’s leadership says patience has run out. In a formal statement at the onset of the strike, President Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman stated that their list of demands had been ignored despite previous consultations and a 30-day ultimatum.
The grievances centre on a 19-point list, including salary arrears under the CONMESS/CGMESS structure, outstanding specialist and hazard allowances, unsafe working conditions, and the progressive recruitment of medical staff to replace those leaving. Importantly, NARD emphasises that the strike is not political but a fight to salvage a system that undervalues and overworks doctors. “A resident doctor who is overworked, underpaid, and mentally exhausted cannot provide optimal care to the patient who needs them most,” Suleiman said.
This Doctors Strike follows earlier labour unrest. In September 2025, resident doctors staged a five-day walkout over similar welfare and training-fund issues. NARD says the government’s inaction forced an escalation to an indefinite strike.
Reports indicate that about 11,000 resident doctors are involved, affecting 91 healthcare institutions, including federal teaching hospitals, specialist centres, and some private facilities dependent on public-sector staffing.
In major cities such as Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Abuja, the impact has been immediate. Outpatient clinics were closed and several elective surgeries cancelled. Patients with chronic illnesses, pregnant women needing antenatal care, and accident victims are being delayed or diverted.
Nurses and consultants are stretched thin. A senior nurse in Lagos said, “We are doing our best, but we have no resident doctor. It’s unsafe. Some patients are told they must come back another day.” Even emergency departments are overwhelmed.
Nigeria’s public health system has long operated near capacity. Physician density is reported at roughly 0.394 doctors per 1,000 people—far below the recommended 1 doctor per 600 people. The ongoing Doctors Strike exacerbates this thin margin of safety.
Adding to the strain is the emigration of medical professionals; over 16,000 doctors have left Nigeria in the past five years. With fewer hands on deck, the withdrawal of resident doctors threatens to push the system to collapse.
Beyond human resources, Nigeria’s hospitals suffer from aging infrastructure, power outages, shortages of essential medicines, and chronic understaffing. The Doctors Strike amplifies these existing vulnerabilities.
Emergency care is compromised. Hospitals maintain skeleton staff only for life-threatening cases, leaving many urgent but non-fatal cases delayed. Surgery and specialist care are the first affected, with elective procedures like hernia repairs, joint replacements, and scheduled caesareans indefinitely suspended.
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Outpatient services for chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and HIV, are interrupted, risking long-term complications. Maternal and child health services are under threat, particularly in regions with limited private healthcare options, potentially leading to avoidable deaths.
The financial burden shifts to private care. Patients able to access private hospitals face rising costs as demand surges. Many Nigerians cannot afford this, forcing them to defer or avoid care entirely. Health economist Dr. Tunde Bamidele warned: “When you disrupt front-line care, the poor pay the highest price. The public health system is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. When it fails, people die at home.”
This is not Nigeria’s first major Doctors Strike. In 2014, public-sector doctors went on strike for about 55 days. In 2021, another multi-week strike by resident doctors required court mediation. Each stoppage disrupts hospital operations, causing backlog, delayed surgeries, and extended outpatient queues.
The current strike adds to a cycle of repeated promises and unmet expectations, eroding trust. NARD insists that outstanding allowances and salary adjustments must be honoured. “This is a struggle for a functional healthcare system,” the union says.
The Federal Government announced ₦11.99 billion to settle arrears, but NARD disputes whether this adequately addresses resident-doctor payments. Reports suggest only about ₦500 million was earmarked for resident doctors themselves. The union maintains that services will not resume until all 19 demands are met and evidence of implementation is visible.
The Doctors Strike presents a political challenge. Critics argue that the government’s limited response signals structural neglect. Factors making this strike particularly severe include:
Its national scale, affecting 91 centres
Heightened pressures from ongoing infectious disease outbreaks like cholera and Lassa fever
Supply-chain disruptions and inflation affecting patient access and facility budgets
Continued emigration of doctors thinning workforce resilience
Even after the strike ends, the backlog of delayed consultations and surgeries, burnout among remaining staff, and patients lost to follow-up may have lasting consequences. For young doctors, repeated interruptions, low pay, and inadequate infrastructure send a discouraging message, potentially driving further emigration.
In Lagos, a woman whose husband required urgent cardiac surgery found the operating theatre shuttered. In Kano, a pregnant woman attending a late-term scan was asked to return in a week, with no certainty on when services would resume.
Analysts say resolution requires both immediate action and long-term reform. Short-term measures include publishing a credible timeline for meeting demands, ensuring transparent release of allowances, and deploying contingency staffing. Long-term, Nigeria needs realistic staffing plans, improved working conditions, safe infrastructure, sustainable funding, and institutional trust-building between doctors and government.
Dr. Suleiman summarized the stakes: “If doctors are broken, under-motivated or forced to seek survival abroad, the patients suffer most.”
The Doctors Strike is more than a labour action—it is a national health alarm. Millions of Nigerians rely on public hospitals for affordable care. Disruption risks reversing gains in maternal mortality, immunisation, and infectious-disease control.
Repeated labour stoppages undermine public trust. Patients delay or avoid care, increasing preventable morbidity and mortality. The government, too, risks reputational and economic fallout, as international partners monitor system reliability.
In the corridors of Nigeria’s public hospitals, the echoes of the Doctors Strike will linger long after the final notice is posted. It is a symptom of a system stretched to breaking point, and for millions of Nigerians, the stakes are nothing short of life and death.