Nationwide hospital services to be disrupted as nurses begin strike Wednesday

Nationwide hospital services to be disrupted as nurses begin strike Wednesday

Healthcare services across Nigeria are expected to face significant disruption starting Wednesday as nurses under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions Sector, commence a seven-day nationwide warning strike.

The strike will impact 74 federal hospitals, as well as various state hospitals and primary healthcare centres.

The planned industrial action is set to halt operations at federal medical centres, teaching hospitals, and specialist facilities, in protest against issues such as poor pay, staffing shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.

The union had earlier issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government on July 14, 2025, calling for urgent action to avert a complete breakdown of healthcare services.

The association noted that despite the ultimatum, the Federal Government had not initiated any negotiations.

Speaking exclusively with a correspondent on Monday, the National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said some of the long-standing demands included upward review of shift allowance, uniform allowance adjustment, a separate salary structure for nurses, increased core duty allowance, mass employment of nurses, and the establishment of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.

“The strike in question is inevitable as the Federal Government or the Federal Ministry of Health remains adamant.

“Right now, nurses are lumped together with other health workers on the same salary scale.

There’s no special consideration for the unique work nurses do.

“We want a dedicated salary structure that reflects our profession and contribution. We are not just like every other health worker. We deserve our salary scale,” he said.

The national chairman lamented that despite the fact that they work round-the-clock shifts, they were not treated fairly.

“Nurses are the only professionals who work round-the-clock shifts. Night shifts are even more demanding and dangerous now due to security concerns.

“We are supposed to receive 30 per cent of our basic salary as shift allowance, as stated in a 2009 circular, but they’re only getting 6.8 per cent, the same as a gate man running shifts.

“It’s unfair. We work the longest hours with patients, and yet they give us crumbs,” he said.

The national chairman lamented that for 20 years now, nurses only get N20,000 per year for uniforms, even though they need to replace their wears constantly.

“Nurses get N20,000 per year for uniforms, a figure that has not changed in over 20 years, even though nurses wear white uniforms that get stained easily and need constant replacement.

“We wear full uniforms, and we sometimes need several per week. N20,000 can’t buy enough for a year anymore.

“Meanwhile, lab coat allowances for doctors and others were recently reviewed, but nurses were left out, even though uniform allowance is a long-standing rule for nurses and fire service officers,” he said.

He added that nurses wanted the core duty allowance raised from 1.7 per cent to four per cent, lamenting that despite nurses making up a large chunk of the health workforce, there’s no dedicated department for nursing in the ministry.

“Currently, a director reports to another director from a different department, which undermines the profession. We want a proper Department of Nursing, led by a full-fledged director, not sidelined under someone else.

“Since 2016, a scheme of service (defining ranks, roles, and duties of nurses) was approved and circulated, but it’s still not being implemented. We’re not asking for a new document. Just implement the one already approved.

“Nurses are still working in hospitals with no gloves, syringes, or gauze. They’re forced to improvise, which puts their lives and their health at risk. We save lives even with nothing. Imagine how much more we can do if we’re properly equipped.

“The government keeps claiming there’s a shortage of nurses, yet Nigeria produces over 10,000 nurses every year,” said Rilwan. “The real issue is that many of them are underemployed—either working for meagre wages in private hospitals or on temporary locum contracts in public facilities. We have enough nurses, but they’re not properly employed or fairly paid, which is why so many are leaving the country.”

Rilwan also noted that the association is calling for the reconstitution of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Board, which has remained dissolved for over four years.

He stressed that the planned strike would affect all tiers of public healthcare nationwide.

“This includes 74 federal institutions—teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, specialist hospitals such as orthopaedic, neuropsychiatric, and eye centres—as well as general hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and all 774 local government areas,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Omomo Tibiebi, confirmed that the strike would be total, with no services provided during the period—even in emergencies.

“There will be no emergency services or skeletal operations. The 15-day ultimatum expires at midnight on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, and the warning strike will begin at exactly 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, July 30,” Tibiebi declared.