The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, on Monday disclosed that the Federal Government has released the N21.3bn to settle outstanding arrears, allowances of members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) who are currently on indefinite strike since Saturday.
Salako made this disclosure while addressing newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
“The sum of N21.3bn has been released for the settlement of these arrears. At least 60 per cent of NARD members have received an alert. It is still remaining at about 40 per cent, and we are going to follow up with the Accountant-General and the Pay Office to ensure that the other 40 per cent are properly paid,” he said.
According to the minister, N11.995bn had been processed for additional arrears, while N10bn had previously been paid to all health workers in August, and another N10bn had been paid exclusively to resident doctors through the Medical Residency Training Fund.
Responding to NARD’s complaint about unregulated work hours and manpower shortages, the minister said the government had approved massive recruitment in the health sector.
“In 2024 alone, the Federal Ministry of Health, using a special waiver mechanism that no other sector enjoys, was able to engage 14,444 health workers across 64 federal tertiary health institutions. 78.1 per cent are clinical staff. Out of those clinical staff, 908 are consultants and 3,064 are resident doctors.
“In 2025, so far, using the same waiver mechanism, we have given approval, and recruitment is already ongoing across 78 federal tertiary health institutions for the employment of 23,059 health workers. 71.1 per cent of them are clinical staff. 868 are consultants and 2,629 are residents, also the second highest,” he said.
Dr. Salako added that Tinubu had approved the increase of the retirement age for clinical health workers to 65 years, noting that the policy was undergoing final establishment procedures before implementation.
Addressing concerns about poor infrastructure in health facilities, the minister urged journalists to visit hospitals nationwide to verify the government’s ongoing improvements since May 2023.
According to Dr. Salako, President Tinubu remained committed to bridging gaps in the health sector and ensuring sustainability in all agreements.
“There is no slow progress. What is happening is that we’re taking our time to ensure that everything we need to take on board is taken on board, so that whatever solution we agree on will be a sustainable one.
“The health sector is teamwork. No professional in the health sector can work independently of others. What happens to cadre A affects cadre B. We cannot treat their issues independently of one another,” he added.
