RESIDENT DOCTORS URGE TINUBU TO INTERVENE, SAVE NIGERIA’S HEALTH SECTOR
Read Time:2 Minute, 19 Second
BY MUNIRAT BALOGUN
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the country’s struggling health sector, citing poor funding, dilapidated infrastructure, and worsening conditions driving medical professionals abroad.
The association’s National President, Dr Innocent Orji, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, stressing that Nigeria’s health system is on the verge of collapse unless the government commits to substantial reform and adequate funding. He reminded the federal government of its obligation under the 2001 Abuja Declaration to allocate at least 15 per cent of the national budget to health, describing the current allocation as grossly inadequate to meet the country’s needs.
Dr Orji lamented that hospitals across Nigeria are under severe pressure due to a shortage of manpower, obsolete facilities, and irregular remuneration. He said many doctors in state-owned tertiary hospitals are still being owed several months of salaries and allowances, while poor working conditions continue to fuel the mass exodus of health workers to foreign countries.
He noted that the situation has become dire in several federal and state hospitals, where the doctor-to-patient ratio is alarmingly low, adding that most resident doctors now handle workloads far beyond acceptable international standards. He called on President Tinubu to prioritize investment in medical infrastructure, improve doctors’ welfare, and address brain drain through fair compensation and better working environments.
In Kogi State, resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja also staged a peaceful protest, urging President Tinubu and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, to intervene in what they described as the worsening decay of the facility. The doctors complained that the hospital, which once had over 300 doctors, now has barely 40, making it nearly impossible to sustain patient care.
They accused the hospital management of poor staff welfare, non-payment of allowances, and failure to reinstate the local NARD president despite directives from the Federal Ministry of Health. They also cited the lack of functioning medical equipment and inadequate funding as major obstacles to quality service delivery.
The association warned that if urgent steps are not taken to rescue the sector, more hospitals could face collapse, further worsening the already fragile state of healthcare in Nigeria. It expressed readiness to work with the government to develop lasting solutions but stressed that meaningful change must begin with increased funding, modernised infrastructure, and fair treatment of medical professionals.
Health analysts say NARD’s renewed call highlights deep-rooted challenges within Nigeria’s healthcare system, where poor governance, underfunding and brain drain have combined to weaken service delivery. They noted that restoring public confidence in the country’s hospitals will require sustained political commitment and accountability from all stakeholders.
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