The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has revealed that the Federal Government is yet to respond to its directive stopping doctors from taking call duty beyond 24 hours.
Speaking with The Guardian on Wednesday, NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, said the association had instructed members nationwide to limit continuous call duty to 24 hours. He explained that compliance is being monitored through Chief Residents of Departments and Centre Presidents across 91 centres in the country.
When asked if the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had reacted to the directive, Suleiman simply replied: “No response so far.”
The NARD President stressed that the long hours were already having negative effects on patient care, saying: “The excess call duty is already taking its toll on patient care as it is.” He urged the ministry to urgently address the matter, warning that doctors’ welfare and patient safety are at stake.
Suleiman also disclosed that the association would be unveiling more welfare-focused demands for its members in the coming weeks, a move that signals possible escalation if government continues to ignore their concerns.
For many Nigerians, the silence of the Federal Government on this pressing health matter raises fears of another face-off with resident doctors — a development that could worsen the country’s already fragile healthcare system.
