…in bold health sector reforms to end doctors’ strike,rebuild confidence
By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
Nigeria’s health sector is undergoing its most sweeping transformation in over a decade as the Federal Government launches a massive workforce recovery and reform drive , clearing billions in arrears, authorizing record recruitments, and tightening accountability measures to stabilize the system and end the resident doctors’ strike.
At a high-level ministerial press briefing in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, led top ministry officials to announce a coordinated plan that he described as a “sustainable reset, not a quick fix.”
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed us to do everything necessary within law and reason , to bring our doctors back to work and restore public confidence in the health system,” Dr. Salako said.
The minister disclosed that, under a special presidential waiver, the government recruited 14,444 health professionals across 64 federal health institutions in 2024, with another 23,059 new hires currently underway for 2025 , representing the largest health workforce expansion in Nigeria in more than ten years.
“Seventy-eight percent of those recruited last year were clinical staff – doctors, nurses, and midwives,” Salako said.
According to him,”“Resident doctors and consultants account for nearly half of ongoing hires.”
In a major fiscal intervention, Salako confirmed that the government has released N31 billion to settle outstanding arrears under the 25–35% salary adjustment for health workers. Of this, N21.3 billion has already been disbursed, while the remaining ₦10 billion is to be cleared “within 72 hours” following talks with the Ministries of Finance and Budget.
An additional N5 billion has also been released, bringing recent disbursements to N25 billion, covering health workers’ allowances and residency training funds.
“In August, N10 billion went to all health workers, another N10 billion to the Medical Residency Training Fund, and N5 billion more has just been processed. Payments begin this week,” Salako stated.
Addressing ongoing industrial issues, the Minister revealed that an independent industrial relations expert has been appointed to mediate lingering disputes on professional relativity and non-doctor consultant appointments, with a view to finding “a durable, system-wide solution.”
“We will no longer repeat the mistakes of fragmented negotiations,” he said. “All health unions must now engage the government as one team, not in silos, “he added.
The minister also faulted the continuation of the strike amid ongoing talks, noting that collective bargaining agreements explicitly contain a “no-strike clause” during negotiations.
On the contentious demand to place medical interns on the civil service payroll, Salako clarified that interns remain “trainees, not permanent staff,” and integrating them into the scheme would “create fresh distortions.”
In a broader strategic shift, Salako announced that the federal government has adopted a multi-pronged workforce recovery plan aimed at reversing the health sector’s brain drain and transforming Nigeria into a “brain gain” economy.
“We are adopting global best practices,” he said.,adding:”Some countries now export health professionals as an economic asset. Nigeria will do the same , but first, we must rebuild our domestic capacity.”
He revealed that Chief Medical Directors,CMDs, have now been authorized to hire doctors and nurses on locum (temporary) basis to prevent service disruptions while formal recruitment processes continue.
Additionally, a new Task Force on Hospital Compliance has been established to conduct unscheduled inspections and ensure that non-striking staff remain on duty.
“Hospitals cannot be empty while bureaucracies run their course,” he warned.
Framing the current reforms within a global context, Salako said Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio remains among the world’s lowest, far from the World Health Organization’s benchmark of one doctor per 1,000 patients.
“We’re not just trying to stop migration — we’re rebuilding the foundation for a resilient, self-sustaining health system,” he declared.
The minister explained that,“This is about creating a health workforce that serves Nigeria and competes globally.”
With arrears now cleared, recruitment expanded, and new governance structures in place, the federal government insists that the era of fragmented negotiations and systemic stagnation is over.
“Nigeria’s health sector,” Salako said, “is open for reform ,but closed to chaos.”
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