Nigeria Sets Up Ministerial Committees to Resolve Health Sector Disputes

The Federal Government has inaugurated two high-level ministerial committees to tackle long-standing disputes in the health sector, focusing on issues such as excessive work hours, locum engagement practices, and residency training certification.

The announcement was made on Friday in a statement signed by Mr Alaba Balogun, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, said the committees form part of a broader effort to reform Nigeria’s healthcare system, safeguard the welfare of health workers, and protect patient safety.

“The issues have repeatedly strained relations between the government and health sector unions,” Salako said, highlighting prolonged work hours, uneven locum engagement, and challenges with resident doctor certification as flashpoints for industrial action.

The first panel, the Ministerial Committee on Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Policy, will review exhausting duty schedules and inconsistent hiring of health workers as locum officers in public hospitals. The minister emphasized that excessive work hours endanger both staff well-being and patient safety, particularly as Nigeria grapples with a global health workforce shortage.

Salako cited World Health Organization estimates projecting a gap of up to 11 million health workers worldwide by 2030, with Nigeria heavily affected by the migration of medical personnel to Europe, North America, and other developed economies.

“Over the last 21 months, the Federal Government has introduced several measures to strengthen the health workforce, including the Health Workforce Migration Policy, reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks in recruitment, improving remuneration, and expanding training quotas,” Salako added. “About 14,444 health workers were employed in 2024, with 23,059 approved in 2025, over 70 per cent of whom were clinical staff.”

The initiatives are intended to provide lasting solutions to recurring industrial unrest and to ensure a more resilient healthcare system across Nigeria.