Medical services in federal hospitals across Nigeria have been severely disrupted following an indefinite strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The industrial action, which began this week, has left patients stranded and critical health services paralyzed, raising fresh concerns about Nigeria’s fragile health sector.
The doctors, who make up a significant portion of the country’s medical workforce, embarked on the strike to press home demands for improved welfare, timely payment of salaries, adequate working conditions, and increased investment in healthcare infrastructure. According to NARD, several agreements reached with the federal government in past negotiations have remained unimplemented, leaving the doctors with no choice but to withdraw their services.
Across major cities, including Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt, reports indicate that outpatient clinics, surgical theatres, and emergency units in federal hospitals are operating at skeletal levels. While consultants and other health workers are attempting to keep services running, the absence of resident doctors — who form the backbone of daily hospital operations — has created huge service gaps. Patients requiring urgent attention have either been left unattended or referred to private hospitals.
Family members of patients have expressed frustration over the situation, lamenting that many cannot afford the high cost of treatment in private facilities. “My mother has been here for three days, but she has not seen a doctor since the strike started,” said a patient’s relative at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Similar accounts were recorded in other federal medical centres, where long queues and abandoned wards have become the new reality.
The federal government, through the Ministry of Health, has appealed to the striking doctors to return to work, citing the negative impact on citizens’ lives. Officials say efforts are ongoing to address the grievances raised, but NARD insists that concrete actions, rather than promises, are required to end the strike. The doctors argue that their demands are not only about personal welfare but also about strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system for better service delivery.
Health analysts warn that the prolonged strike could worsen the country’s already strained medical sector, which is grappling with a shortage of doctors, frequent brain drain, and inadequate infrastructure. They note that previous strikes have cost lives and reduced confidence in public healthcare, urging both the government and the doctors to find common ground quickly.
As the impasse drags on, ordinary Nigerians are left to bear the brunt of the industrial action. Many are now appealing for urgent dialogue between the government and the striking doctors to avert further loss of lives and restore normalcy in the nation’s hospitals.
