The Federal Government has inaugurated two ministerial committees to address excessive work hours for doctors, controversial locum engagement practices and lingering disputes over residency training certification, in a move aimed at resolving key demands of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and ensuring industrial harmony in the health sector.

Inaugurating the committees in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said the intervention underscores the government’s commitment to health sector reforms, improved welfare for health workers and safer healthcare delivery.

Salako noted that prolonged duty hours, inconsistent locum engagement and certification concerns for resident doctors have repeatedly strained relations between the government and health sector unions, often triggering industrial actions.

He explained that the Ministerial Committee on Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Policy was set up to address the risks posed by exhausting work schedules and the unregulated use of locum officers across public hospitals.

“Excessive work hours threaten not only the physical and mental well-being of health workers but also patient safety,” Salako said, citing World Health Organisation projections that the global health workforce gap could reach 11 million by 2030. He added that Nigeria remains particularly vulnerable due to the migration of health professionals to Europe, North America and other developed regions.

The minister highlighted steps taken by the Federal Government over the past 21 months to strengthen the health workforce, including the introduction of a Health Workforce Migration Policy, improved remuneration, expanded training quotas and faster recruitment processes. He disclosed that 14,444 health workers were employed in 2024, while 23,059 recruitments were approved in 2025, with more than 70 per cent being clinical staff.

Despite these measures, Salako acknowledged that locum engagements, often used as stopgap solutions, have been inconsistently applied and, in some cases, abused, underscoring the need for a clear national policy framework.

The work-hour committee is mandated to conduct a nationwide audit of hospital work hours and shift patterns, assess their impact on patient outcomes and staff wellbeing, consult stakeholders and develop a national policy on safe duty hours, rostering and locum engagement. This will include recommendations on maximum duty hours, mandatory rest periods and pathways from locum to permanent employment. The panel is expected to submit an interim report within 12 weeks.

Assuring stakeholders of government commitment, Salako said the committees’ recommendations would receive urgent attention and form part of a “new deal” for health professionals aimed at reducing industrial unrest and strengthening healthcare delivery nationwide.

The Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Committee is chaired by the Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Abisola Adegoke, and includes representatives of regulatory agencies, hospital management, health unions and professional bodies.

The second panel, the Appraisal Committee on Certification and Recategorisation Policy, will review complaints by resident doctors over the non-issuance and recategorisation of membership certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN).

Salako said the committee would conduct a transparent appraisal of existing policies and NARD’s demands, particularly regarding the issuance of membership certificates after Part I examinations.

The committee, chaired by the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital Abuja, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud, is expected to submit its report within eight weeks.

In their acceptance speeches, the committee chairpersons pledged diligence and fairness. Adegoke said the work-hour panel would put “a human face” to its assignment by drawing from the lived experiences of overworked resident doctors, while Mahmud assured that the certification review would be guided by principles of justice and equity.

The Director of the Regulatory and Professional Schools Division of the Hospital Services Department, Francisca Okafor, commended the minister’s “decisive leadership,” describing the committees as a critical step toward restoring harmony, dignity and stability in Nigeria’s health sector.