Nigeria’s resident doctors have announced sweeping changes to their work schedules, warning that the country’s collapsing doctor-to-patient ratio and crushing hospital workloads are endangering both patients and medics.
In a statement issued on Wednesday to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) said that from 1 October 2025, doctors across the country would no longer take continuous calls beyond 24 hours.
“With an estimated population of over 240 million people and only about 11,000 resident doctors, Nigeria records a ratio of 1:9,083. This is far from global best practice,” the association said, adding that the average resident works more than 106 hours a week, while surgical residents often exceed 122 hours.
Medical leaders have long warned that Nigeria is bleeding doctors to countries offering better pay and working conditions. According to the coordinating minister of health, Muhammad Pate, more than 16,000 doctors have emigrated in the past seven years, leaving those who remain to shoulder unbearable workloads.
The consequences, NARD said, are deadly. “This situation is deeply troubling. It inevitably leads to increased medical errors due to burnout, endangering patient safety, with severe toll on the mental, physical, and psychological well-being of doctors. Too often, resident doctors sacrifice their health, and sometimes their lives, in service to their patients.”
The association’s leadership, led by president Dr Mohammad Suleiman, said too many young doctors were “paying the ultimate price,” with families left to fend for themselves. “How many more lives must we lose before decisive action is taken?” the group asked.
NARD called on the federal ministry of health to enforce a one-to-one replacement policy for departing doctors, introduce regulations to curb excessive call hours, and ensure fairer pay and conditions.
The union stressed that those who have remained in the system despite mass emigration are “patriots and heroes” who deserve protection. “We cannot continue to lose our members to preventable and avoidable deaths — not now, and not in the future,” it said.
The announcement, timed with the country’s independence celebrations, underscores the stark contrast between official calls for national renewal and the dire state of Nigeria’s health system, where doctors are battling exhaustion, underpayment and dwindling numbers.
