Dare Babalola
The Federal Government has launched two top-level committees to tackle long-standing issues in the health sector, including work hour overload, locum practices, and certification problems for resident doctors.
The announcement was made in a statement issued Friday in Abuja by Alaba Balogun, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, launched the committees, saying it’s a step towards overhauling the healthcare system, safeguarding health workers’ welfare, and boosting patient safety.
Salako noted that the issues have often led to tensions between the government and health workers’ unions, citing long work hours, unfair locum practices, and residency certification concerns as triggers for strikes.
He said the first panel, focused on work hours and locum engagement, aims to tackle exhausting schedules and unfair locum practices for health workers in public hospitals.
He said excessive work hours pose risks to the mental and physical well-being of health workers and to patient safety, especially amid a global shortage of health personnel.
He cited World Health Organisation estimates projecting a global health workforce gap of up to 11 million by 2030, with Nigeria particularly affected by migration to Europe, North America and other developed economies.
“In the last 21 months, the Federal Government has adopted several measures to strengthen the health workforce, including the Health Workforce Migration Policy, easing bureaucratic bottlenecks to employment, improving remuneration and expanding training quotas.
“About 14,444 health workers were employed in 2024, while 23,059 were approved in 2025, with more than 70 per cent being clinical staff,” he said.
