The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has made it clear that the end of the nationwide strike does not mean that their demands have been met. They also warned that the health sector crisis is still not over, ENigeria Newspaper has learnt.
The group, which stopped the strike less than 24 hours after it started, said it was a strategic choice that would let talks with the Federal Government continue.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of NARD says that the suspension came after high-level talks with Kashim Shettima and other senior officials, such as ministers in charge of health, labour, and finance.
Despite the intervention, the doctors stressed that critical issues that led to the strike are still outstanding. These include unpaid allowances, delayed salary and promotion arrears, and the controversial halt of the Professional Allowance Table (PAT).
The association also highlighted the non-disbursement of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) and about 19 months of unpaid professional allowances as key concerns affecting members nationwide.
NARD said it remains only “cautiously optimistic” that the government will take concrete steps to address the grievances, noting that past agreements have often not been fully implemented.
To that end, the association issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve all outstanding matters, warning that failure to do so would trigger an immediate resumption of the suspended strike.
The NEC said it would reconvene at the end of the ultimatum to assess the level of compliance and determine the next line of action.
Recall that the Nigeria resident doctors have called for an immediate payout of outstanding arrears and the cancellation of several important decisions in light of the nationwide strike that was supposed to kick off on April 7, 2026, potentially disrupting healthcare service delivery in public hospitals.
According to the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the reason behind the action is a government’s decision to suspend the implementation of the updated Professional Allowance Table (PAT) and failure to clear outstanding dues owed to members of the association.
