The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the Federal Government 30 days to meet its long-standing welfare and policy demands.
The doctors are demanding payment of salary arrears, promotion benefits, and the reinstatement of doctors who were dismissed.
The resolutions were contained in a communique signed on Sunday by NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity Secretary, Dr. Abdulmajid Ibrahim. This followed the association’s 45th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, held in Katsina State from September 21 to 26, 2025.
The conference, themed “Mitigating health worker migration through extra-remuneration incentives: A strategy for sustainable development”, also marked a leadership change. Dr. Suleiman took over as president from Dr. Tope Osundara, who completed his one-year tenure.
Earlier, on September 12, NARD had started a five-day warning strike. The strike was called off after two days when the government released funds for the Medical Residency Training Fund and promised to resolve other issues within two weeks.
At the AGM, members raised concerns over unresolved matters affecting doctors’ welfare and the wider health sector.
They highlighted unsafe and excessive call-duty hours, the failure to review the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for 16 years, and the non-payment of corrected professional allowances. These, they said, have left many doctors facing salary shortfalls.
Doctors in federal hospitals are also owed several months of promotion arrears. NARD condemned this, along with the casualization of doctors, the dismissal of five doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Lokoja, and delays that go against the Medical Residency Training Act.
The association also spoke against worsening brain drain, poor hospital infrastructure, exclusion of house officers from the Civil Service Scheme, and the government’s failure to implement agreed pension benefits.
NARD further condemned the creation of consultant positions for non-medical doctors, the downgrading of postgraduate membership certificates, and the failure to apply CONMESS circulars across all government institutions.
The association resolved that from October 1, 2025, its members will no longer do more than 24 consecutive hours of call duty, in line with international standards.
It called on the Federal Ministry of Health to officially introduce clear and healthy working hours for doctors and to speed up the review of CONMESS. It also demanded fairness in professional allowances between medical and non-medical salary structures.
The doctors insisted that corrected tables for allowances must be released immediately, and that all outstanding promotion arrears should be paid within 30 days. They also urged the government to adopt a one-for-one replacement policy so that hospitals can promptly replace doctors who leave the system.
NARD gave the Federal Ministry of Health and the management of FTH Lokoja 30 days to reinstate the five dismissed doctors. It also demanded payment of arrears from the 25–35% CONMESS salary increase, the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance, and other outstanding salaries.
The AGM rejected the appointment of non-medical consultants, urged the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to restore full recognition for West African postgraduate certificates, and called on the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to issue membership certificates promptly.
The doctors also demanded a decentralized process for promotions and training to improve efficiency and health service delivery. They asked for immediate payment of specialist allowances to reflect their vital role in advanced care.
They further called on the government to employ more doctors as a response to brain drain and ensure continuous recruitment across the country. They also pressed for the inclusion of house officers in the Civil Service Scheme to guarantee prompt payment and payslips.
NARD specifically urged Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to resolve the welfare issues of resident doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.
The association demanded full implementation of CONMESS circulars across all hospitals, medical colleges, and research institutions. It also encouraged medical entrepreneurship among resident doctors to strengthen the health system and create alternative income sources.
On policy, NARD resolved to engage the National Assembly to secure bigger budget allocations for healthcare and training in the 2026 national budget.
Finally, the association demanded that the Federal Government implement special pension benefits earlier agreed upon for doctors.
