The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has warned that the country may soon face another nationwide shutdown of medical services, following the Federal Government’s failure to honour a Memorandum of Understanding previously signed with the association.

In an appeal to senior medical professionals and respected elders, posted on X on Sunday and titled “Urgent Appeal to Avert a Looming Nationwide NARD Strike (TICS 2.0),” NARD Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, cautioned that the nation was on the brink of a total and indefinite comprehensive strike.

The association said the strike would be the inevitable result of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government ignoring multiple deadlines for implementing the MoU signed with resident doctors.

NARD recalled that it suspended its indefinite strike on November 29, after 29 days of industrial action, following the signing of an MoU with the government. Under the agreement, the government committed to meeting NARD’s demands within four weeks.

The association, however, warned that it would resume a total, indefinite and comprehensive strike if the Federal Government failed to implement the agreed demands within the stipulated four weeks.

In a statement, the association warned: “The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors stands on the brink of another nationwide industrial action triggered by the failure of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government to honour the Memorandum of Understanding freely entered into with NARD.”

NARD emphasised that resident doctors form the backbone of service delivery in Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals, adding that they were overworked and increasingly demoralised.