As the 21-day ultimatum it set to the Federal Government draws to a close on July 23, the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA) has warned it will halt medical services nationwide if the government fails to meets its demands.
NMA President, Prof Bala Audu, who verified this in an exclusive chat with our correspondent on Sunday, added that the association was prepared to take decisive action should the government fail to respond satisfactorily to its requests.
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Prof Audu highlighted that the association’s demands were important to the sustainability of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the wellbeing of medical professionals across the country.
The NMA had, on July 2, issued an ultimatum in protest against a circular from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission on increased allowances for medical and dental officers in the federal public sector, which the doctors objected against for violating past agreements.
It issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to remove the circular and meet its other conditions to avert industrial action in the health sector.
“We have made our position clear. The ultimatum ends on July 23, and if the Federal Government does not address our demands, we may have no choice but to proceed with a strike,” he said.
According to him, the circular contains clauses that were not mutually agreed upon and which undermine the remuneration and wellbeing of medical personnel.
“We have rejected that circular outright. We expect that any new directive affecting our members should be the outcome of mutual consultation, not something imposed,” he stated.
“The last meeting happened two weeks ago and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate; the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako; the Permanent Secretary, the Director of Hospital Services, and the representative of minister of labour were at the meeting, and some affiliate of the NMA were present, and I was part of that meeting as well.
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“The minister appreciated us, then he spoke about the issues as contained in the list of demands from the NMA.
“However, he felt that we should go for a further meeting, and another meeting was slated for last week, unfortunately, in the week, we lost the former President Muhammadu Buhari, so the meeting couldn’t be held.
“However, the next meeting is supposed to happen between us, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which issued a circular that we feel is obnoxious, and we have rejected it. We would also meet with the Ministry of Finance and representatives from the Ministry of Health,” he added.
The NMA president voiced concern that time was running out, adding that unless the meeting was held within the next several days, the association may be left with no other alternative but industrial action.
“We expect that after the funeral ceremonies, government stakeholders will reconvene with us, hopefully by Monday. Otherwise, the 21-day ultimatum still stands.
“If the government fails to prioritise this matter, a strike may be inevitable,” he added.
The Katsina State NMA branch, in a communique issued after its State Executive Council meeting, expressed “grave disappointment” and “unequivocal condemnation” over the circular.
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The meeting, held in Katsina, on Saturday, noted that “NMA Katsina State branch hereby rejects National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s (NSIWC) circular (SWC/S/04/S.218/III/646) dated 27th June, 2025 on review of allowances for medical/dental officers in the federal public service and demands urgent government withdrawal action and fulfillment of all the demands.”
The association stressed that it could not guarantee non-disruption of health services if their demands were not met.
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