Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Resident doctors in Nigeria are awaiting 19 months of unpaid professional allowances as manpower shortages and unresolved welfare issues increase workload, burnout and migration among doctors, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has said.
The outgoing Secretary General of NARD, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, said the Federal Government had acknowledged the outstanding allowances but had yet to show serious commitment to settling the arrears. “But up to now, there is no serious commitment from the Federal Government,” Ibrahim said in an exclusive interview with Africa Health Report on Monday.
Ibrahim said NARD had also given the government a two-week ultimatum to address outstanding issues affecting resident doctors, including the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), professional allowances and the Residency Training Fund. He said the timeline for concluding the CBA had elapsed despite several engagements and extensions between the association and government officials.
The NARD official said manpower shortages were placing excessive pressure on resident doctors, with longer working hours contributing to burnout and migration. “These are burning issues that have caused migration and burnout syndrome,” he said. “Once the doctor is stressed out, they cannot give the best to the patient.”
Ibrahim also called for an upward review of the Residency Training Fund to reflect current economic realities, saying the government had issued a circular indicating that the fund would be reviewed but implementation remained unresolved. NARD, at its 46th Annual General Meeting in Calabar, also demanded action on remuneration, career progression, professional allowances, excessive workload, manpower shortages and doctors’ welfare.
The association said resolving the outstanding demands would improve the welfare of resident doctors and help them cope with their professional responsibilities. “If those things are done, people will be happy and they will manage their lives,” Ibrahim said.
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