FG inaugurates committees to tackle health sector disputes

The Federal Government has inaugurated two high-level ministerial committees to address long-standing industrial disputes in the health sector, including excessive work hours, locum engagement practices and residency training certification issues.

The development was contained in a statement signed by Mr Alaba Balogun, Director, Information and Public Relations Unit of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, on Friday in Abuja, and made available to our correspondent

Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, inaugurated the committees, describing the move as part of broader efforts to reform the healthcare system, protect the welfare of health workers, and ensure patient safety.

Salako said the issues have repeatedly strained relations between the government and health sector unions, noting that prolonged work hours, uneven locum engagement, and certification concerns for resident doctors have remained flashpoints for industrial action.

According to him, the first panel, the Ministerial Committee on Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Policy, was constituted to address exhausting duty schedules and inconsistent engagement of health workers as locum officers across public hospitals.

He said excessive work hours pose risks to the mental and physical well-being of health workers and to patient safety, especially amid a global shortage of health personnel.

He cited World Health Organisation estimates projecting a global health workforce gap of up to 11 million by 2030, with Nigeria particularly affected by migration to Europe, North America and other developed economies.

The minister said that in the last 21 months, the Federal Government had adopted several measures to strengthen the health workforce, including the Health Workforce Migration Policy, easing bureaucratic bottlenecks to employment, improving remuneration and expanding training quotas.

He disclosed that 14,444 health workers were employed in 2024, while 23,059 were approved in 2025, with more than 70 per cent being clinical staff.

Despite the gains, he acknowledged that locum engagement, often used as a stopgap, has been inconsistently applied and sometimes abused, necessitating a clear national policy framework.

He said the committee is mandated to conduct a nationwide audit of work hours and shift patterns, assess their impact on patient outcomes and workers’ wellbeing, engage stakeholders and develop a national policy on safe hospital work hours, rostering and locum engagement.

“The panel is expected to submit its first report within 12 weeks,” he said.

He assured stakeholders that the committees’ recommendations would receive urgent attention and form part of a “new deal” for health professionals to reduce industrial unrest and strengthen healthcare delivery nationwide.

“The work-hour committee is chaired by the Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and includes representatives of regulatory bodies, hospital management, health unions and professional associations.

“The second panel, the Appraisal Committee on Certification and Re Categorisation Policy, is to review complaints by resident doctors over the non-issuance and re categorisation of membership certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN),” he said.

He said the committee would conduct a transparent appraisal of existing policies and the requests of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), particularly on the issuance of membership certificates after Part I examinations.

“The committee, chaired by Prof. Muhammad Raji Mahmud, Chief Medical Director, National Hospital Abuja, is expected to submit its recommendations within eight weeks,” he said.

In their acceptance speeches, the chairpersons pledged diligence, empathy and fairness in carrying out their assignments.

Dr Abisola Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services and chair of the work-hour committee, said the panel would put “a human face” to its work, drawing from the lived experiences of overworked resident doctors.

Mahmud assured that the certification review process would be guided strictly by principles of justice and equity across the profession.

In a vote of thanks, Dame Francisca Okafor, Director, Regulatory and Professional Schools Division, commended the minister for what she described as decisive leadership, stating that the committees represent a critical step toward restoring harmony, dignity and stability in the health sector.