FG Sets Up Two Ministerial Committees To Address Doctors’ Workload, Certification Disputes
The Federal Government has inaugurated two high-level ministerial committees to tackle persistent industrial disputes in Nigeria’s health sector, including excessive work hours for doctors, locum engagement practices, and contentious issues surrounding residency training certification and recategorisation.
The committees were inaugurated in Abuja by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who said the move forms part of broader reforms to improve healthcare delivery, protect the welfare of health workers, and enhance patient safety.
Dr. Salako noted that prolonged duty hours, uneven application of locum appointments, and certification concerns for resident doctors have remained major flashpoints in government–labour relations within the health sector, often triggering industrial actions.
According to him, the first panel, the Ministerial Committee on Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Policy, was established to address concerns over exhausting work schedules and the inconsistent engagement of health workers as locum officers in public hospitals.
He warned that excessive work hours endanger not only the physical and mental wellbeing of health workers but also patient safety, particularly amid a global shortage of healthcare personnel. Citing World Health Organisation estimates, Salako said the global health workforce deficit could reach 11 million by 2030, with Nigeria heavily impacted by migration of professionals to Europe, North America and other developed regions.
The minister disclosed that in the last 21 months, the Federal Government has implemented several workforce-strengthening measures, including the Health Workforce Migration Policy, easing recruitment bottlenecks, improving remuneration, and expanding training quotas. He revealed that 14,444 health workers were employed in 2024, while approvals were granted for 23,059 employments in 2025, over 70 per cent of whom are clinical staff.
Despite these efforts, Salako acknowledged that locum engagements have been inconsistently applied and, in some cases, abused, creating the need for a clear national policy framework.
The committee is mandated to conduct a nationwide audit of work hours and shift patterns, evaluate their impact on patient outcomes and workers’ wellbeing, engage key stakeholders, and develop a national policy on safe hospital work hours, rostering and locum engagement. This will include recommendations on maximum duty hours, mandatory rest periods, and pathways for transitioning locum staff to permanent employment. The panel is expected to submit an interim report within 12 weeks.
Salako assured health workers that the committee’s recommendations would receive urgent government attention and form part of a “new deal” for health professionals aimed at reducing industrial unrest and strengthening healthcare delivery.
The committee is chaired by the Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and includes representatives of regulatory bodies, hospital management, health unions and professional associations.
The second panel, the Appraisal Committee on Certification and Recategorisation Policy, will review complaints by resident doctors regarding 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).
Dr. Salako said the committee would conduct a transparent review of existing policies and demands by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), particularly concerning the issuance of membership certificates after passing Part I examinations. The committee, chaired by Professor Muhammad Raji Mahmud, Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital Abuja, is expected to submit its report within eight weeks.
In her acceptance speech, Dr. Abisola Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services and chair of the Work Hour Regulation and Locum Engagement Committee, pledged that the panel would approach its task with empathy, drawing from the lived experiences of overworked resident doctors.
Similarly, Professor Mahmud assured stakeholders that the certification review would be guided strictly by fairness, justice and equity across the medical profession.
In a vote of thanks, Dame Francisca Okafor, Director of Regulatory and Professional Schools Division of the Hospital Services Department, commended the minister for what she described as decisive leadership, saying the committees mark a critical step toward restoring harmony, dignity and stability in Nigeria’s health sector.
