In a decisive move to address persistent industrial disputes in Nigeria’s health sector, the Federal Government has inaugurated two high-level ministerial committees to tackle excessive work hours for health workers, locum engagement practices, and the long-running controversy surrounding residency training certification and recategorisation.
The committees were inaugurated in Abuja by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who said the initiative underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to health sector reforms, improved workers’ welfare, and enhanced patient safety.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Salako noted that prolonged duty hours, inconsistent locum engagement, and unresolved certification issues for resident doctors have remained major flashpoints between government and health sector unions, often resulting in industrial actions.
According to the Minister, the Ministerial Committee on Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Policy was established to address concerns over exhausting work schedules and the uneven use of locum health workers across public hospitals.
Dr. Salako warned that excessive work hours endanger not only the physical and mental wellbeing of health professionals but also patient safety, especially amid a global shortage of health workers. He cited World Health Organisation projections indicating that the global health workforce deficit could reach 11 million by 2030, with Nigeria particularly affected by the migration of professionals to Europe and North America.
He highlighted measures taken by the Federal Government over the past 21 months to strengthen the health workforce, including the introduction of a Health Workforce Migration Policy, removal of employment bottlenecks, improved remuneration, and expanded training quotas. He disclosed that 14,444 health workers were employed in 2024, while 23,059 employments were approved in 2025, with over 70 per cent of them being clinical personnel.
Despite these interventions, the Minister acknowledged that locum engagement, often used as a stopgap to address staff shortages, has been inconsistently applied and, in some cases, abused—necessitating a clear national policy framework.
The committee is mandated to conduct a nationwide audit of hospital work hours and shift patterns, assess their impact on patient outcomes and staff wellbeing, engage key stakeholders, and develop a national policy on safe hospital work hours, rostering and locum engagement. This will include recommendations on maximum duty hours, rest periods, and transition pathways from locum to permanent employment. The committee is expected to submit its first report within 12 weeks.
Dr. Salako assured stakeholders that the recommendations of both committees would receive urgent government attention and form part of a “new deal” for health workers aimed at reducing industrial unrest and strengthening healthcare delivery nationwide.
The Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Committee is chaired by the Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and comprises representatives of regulatory bodies, hospital management, health unions, and professional associations.
The second committee, the Appraisal Committee on Certification and Recategorisation Policy, is charged with reviewing complaints by resident doctors regarding the non-issuance and recategorisation of membership certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN).
Dr. Salako explained that the committee will undertake a transparent review of existing policies and demands by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), particularly on the issuance of membership certificates after successful completion of Part I examinations. The committee, chaired by Professor Muhammad Raji Mahmud, Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital Abuja, is expected to submit its report within eight weeks.
In separate acceptance speeches, the chairpersons of both committees pledged diligence, fairness and empathy in the discharge of their duties. Chair of the Work Hour Regulation Committee, Dr. Abisola Adegoke mni, said the panel would place “a human face” on its work by drawing from the lived experiences of overworked resident doctors.
Professor Mahmud assured that the certification review process would be guided strictly by principles of justice and equity across the medical profession.
In a vote of thanks, Dame Francisca Okafor, Director of Regulatory and Professional Schools Division, Hospital Services Department, commended the Minister for what she described as decisive leadership, noting that the committees represent a critical step toward restoring harmony, dignity and stability in Nigeria’s health sector.
