The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has announced significant financial interventions and workforce reforms to address the long-standing concerns of medical professionals, particularly members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that President Bola Tinubu had approved the expedited payment of arrears owed to health workers, including members of NARD.
According to him, as of Thursday, October 30, an additional ₦21.3 billion had been transferred to the IPPIS account, and payment to beneficiaries had commenced.
In addition, the sum of ₦11.995 billion is being processed for release within 72 hours to settle other outstanding arrears, including the accoutrement allowance.
Dr. Salako explained that these payments are being made in line with the approved salary structure for the health sector.
To address the strain caused by brain drain and prolonged working hours, the Federal Government has also granted special waivers to enable the massive recruitment of healthcare professionals across federal tertiary institutions.
He noted that this recruitment drive is part of a broader strategy to ensure that Nigeria’s health facilities are adequately staffed, safe, and equipped to deliver quality healthcare services to citizens.
On ongoing negotiations and industrial dialogue, Dr. Salako confirmed that collective bargaining discussions are continuing with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)—of which NARD is an affiliate—the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
Dr. Salako emphasized that these interventions reflect the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and welfare of health workers, ensuring industrial harmony, and upholding the uninterrupted delivery of quality healthcare services to Nigerians.
This development followed the announcement by NARD on October 26 on plans to commence an indefinite nationwide strike starting November 1, 2025.
Disclosing this iin a statement, NARD President, Mohammad Suleiman, said the strike directive was issued after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier given to the Federal Government over unresolved demands.
This latest action comes after a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) on Saturday.
“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” the statement reads in part.