TOTAL HEALTH SHUTDOWN IMMINENT AS DOCTORS DECLARE INDEFINITE STRIKE

By Ademola Adekusibe
October 29, 2925.

Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system is on the brink of total collapse as the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared an indefinite nationwide strike beginning November 1, 2025.

The doctors accuse the federal government of insensitivity and neglect, citing months of unpaid salaries, decaying hospital facilities, poor welfare conditions, and a failure to implement previous agreements reached after several warning strikes.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, NARD described the action as a “last resort” after exhausting all dialogue channels with government officials who, according to them, have shown “consistent disregard for the plight of medical professionals.”

The strike is expected to paralyse healthcare delivery nationwide, with emergency units, operating theatres, and teaching hospitals set to bear the brunt of the shutdown. Patients on critical care are likely to be the worst affected, as consultants and interns alone may not be able to fill the gap left by striking doctors.

Observers warn that the development could trigger a public health crisis, especially amid rising disease outbreaks and an already overstretched medical workforce.

With no sign of compromise yet, Nigeria could be facing one of its most severe healthcare standstills in recent years.