Public hospitals across Nigeria have been thrown into crisis as the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) commenced a seven-day warning strike over unmet welfare demands. From Abuja to Lagos, Ibadan, and Yenagoa, patients were left stranded as nurses withdrew services, crippling routine and emergency care in federal health institutions. The strike follows the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the federal government.
At the National Hospital in Abuja, wards and emergency units were largely abandoned, with patients reportedly discharged prematurely. In Kubwa General Hospital, only skeletal services were available, handled solely by overstretched doctors.
A similar situation played out at Adeoyo General Hospital in Ibadan, where nurses were absent and patients were turned away. In Bayelsa, the Federal Medical Centre and various health posts shut their doors, leaving families confused and in distress.
The strike is backed by a list of demands including a new salary structure, improved allowances, recruitment of more nurses, and creation of a dedicated nursing department under the Ministry of Health.
Union leaders said efforts to resolve the dispute collapsed on Monday after the Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, failed to attend a scheduled meeting. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Idris, presided over the talks, which ended in a deadlock.
NANNM warned that failure to meet its demands within the seven-day window could trigger an indefinite nationwide shutdown of nursing services.
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