Nigeria’s public hospitals woke up to a fresh healthcare crisis this morning as resident doctors commenced an indefinite nationwide strike, with patients at federal medical centres and teaching hospitals across the country likely to bear the immediate brunt.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) declared a total and comprehensive industrial action beginning at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, following an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held virtually on Saturday. The decision was announced in a statement signed by NARD’s Secretary General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim.
The immediate trigger was the Federal Government’s decision to discontinue the Professional Allowance Table (PAT) a remuneration structure that governs call duty allowances, shift allowances, rural posting incentives, and payments for non clinical duties. NARD described the move as both “unfortunate” and unjustifiable, warning that it threatens the welfare of doctors and the stability of the nation’s health sector.
The current dispute is rooted in the implementation of a revised PAT that was negotiated between NARD and the Federal Government after a prolonged strike in 2025. The agreement had provided improved remuneration for resident doctors, making the government’s sudden reversal all the more contentious.
The association outlined four conditions for suspending the strike: the immediate reversal of the decision to discontinue the PAT from April 2026, payment of promotion and salary arrears owed to doctors in affected centres, the prompt conclusion of disbursements from the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), and the immediate payment of outstanding arrears of the Professional Allowance, which have accumulated over 19 months.
According to The Sun Nigeria, healthcare experts warn the strike could severely disrupt services in public hospitals, where resident doctors play a central role in patient care. Nigeria already faces a critical shortage of medical personnel, with doctor-to-patient ratios far below World Health Organization recommendations.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also weighed in ahead of the strike. He urged the Tinubu administration to honour its obligations, warning: “Every doctor Nigeria loses to the UK, Canada, or Saudi Arabia is a failure of leadership, not a failure of patriotism. You cannot ask people to serve a nation that refuses to honour its own word.”
NARD said it remains willing to continue dialogue with the government to reach a resolution, stressing that the strike is aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery through better welfare and working conditions for doctors.
