NARD threatens strike over attacks on doctors

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has warned of possible industrial disharmony if urgent steps are not taken to address the rising cases of assaults on healthcare workers across the country.

The association said the warning follows what it described as a growing pattern of violence, intimidation and harassment targeting doctors, nurses and other health personnel in public health facilities nationwide.

NARD is demanding the enforcement of strict hospital protection policies across all health institutions, compensation for victims of assaults and destruction of personal property, and the deployment of adequate security architecture in hospitals nationwide

It also called on the Federal Government to issue an immediate presidential executive order mandating the strict prosecution of anyone who assaults healthcare workers or invades medical facilities.

The association warned that failure to meet these demands by the end of its May 2026 Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) would have consequences for industrial relations in the health sector.

It stated that if, by the end of the May 2026 OGM, “concrete, visible, and decisive steps” are not taken to address the situation and ensure justice for perpetrators, its National Officers Committee (NOC) and other organs would not guarantee industrial peace thereafter.

In a statement on Monday by its President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, Secretary General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Abdulmajid Ibrahim, NARD said the warning was prompted by the increasing frequency of attacks on healthcare workers, which it described as a threat to safety, morale and service delivery.

The association said the failure to prosecute offenders had encouraged repeated attacks, worsening working conditions for medical personnel already affected by systemic challenges in the sector.

It stressed that protecting healthcare workers was essential to sustaining Nigeria’s healthcare system, warning that continued insecurity in hospitals could worsen manpower shortages and accelerate the migration of doctors abroad.

NARD expressed “grave outrage and deep concern” over the reported incidents, listing several affected facilities including the University College Hospital, Ibadan; FMC Owo; OOUTH Sagamu; COOUTH Awka; Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara; FMC Jabi; University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto; University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu; National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu; FMC Jalingo; National Hospital, Abuja; and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

It said the attacks were no longer isolated cases but part of a recurring pattern that has made hospitals increasingly unsafe.

“These are not just statistics. These are human beings, doctors, nurses, and health workers who dedicate their lives every day to saving Nigerians, yet they are being beaten, humiliated, threatened, traumatized, and treated like criminals in the very hospitals where they sacrifice sleepless nights to preserve lives,” the association said.

NARD said more than 90 percent of victims were resident doctors, adding that most cases ended with apology letters rather than prosecution or compensation.

It also condemned what it described as a culture of impunity, alleging that even where arrests were made, prosecutions were not followed through.

“This failure of justice has emboldened hoodlums and even armed personnel to invade hospitals and unleash terror on healthcare workers,” the leadership said, warning that continued inaction could worsen the situation

NARD added that failure to act could lead to more severe consequences, including the risk of fatalities among health workers within hospital environments.

The association also linked the insecurity in hospitals to broader sectoral challenges, including manpower shortages, burnout, poor remuneration and increasing emigration of doctors.

It called on the Federal Government, State governments, security agencies, the National Assembly, the judiciary, hospital managements and civil society organisations to treat the matter as a national emergency, warning that failure to act could undermine industrial peace in the health sector.