Key Points

• The doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria is now 1:9,083.

• Resident doctors say burnout threatens both doctors and patients.

• NARD calls for urgent reforms to stop the health crisis.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has warned that the country’s health system is stretched to a breaking point, with one doctor now treating more than 9,000 people.

The group made the announcement on Wednesday as Nigeria marked its 65th Independence anniversary.

It said resident doctors will no longer work nonstop shifts that last beyond 24 hours, starting from October 1.

The new rule, it added, is necessary to protect both doctors and patients.

The statement was signed by NARD President Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, Secretary-General Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, and Publicity Secretary Dr. Abdulmajid Ibrahim.

Too few doctors, too many patients

Nigeria has been losing doctors at a rapid rate. The Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Pate, recently confirmed that more than 16,000 Nigerian doctors have moved abroad in the last five to seven years in search of better pay and safer working conditions.

Now, only about 11,000 resident doctors remain in the country to care for over 240 million people. This leaves Nigeria with a ratio of one doctor to 9,083 patients.

By global standards, that number is dangerously high. The World Health Organization recommends one doctor for every 600 patients.

Because of this shortage, doctors who remain in Nigeria are heavily overworked. According to NARD, resident doctors now work an average of 106 hours every week, while surgical residents work as much as 122 hours weekly.

Many of them take four to five call duties of 24 hours each, week after week.

Burnout and rising risks

NARD says such long hours put doctors and patients at risk. Exhausted doctors are more likely to make mistakes, and the constant stress damages their physical and mental health.

“This situation is deeply troubling,” the group said. “Too often, resident doctors sacrifice their health, and sometimes their lives, in service to their patients.”

The association also asked: “Who cares for their families after their passing? How many more lives must we lose before decisive action is taken?”

Independence Day warning

NARD’s decision to announce the new work limit on October 1 was not accidental.

On a day Nigerians celebrated independence, the doctors reminded the nation that health workers also need protection.

The group urged the Ministry of Health to introduce a one-to-one replacement system, so that each doctor who leaves is quickly replaced.

It also called for regulations that limit call hours and for fair pay that matches the work doctors put in.

NARD said the few doctors still working in Nigeria are “patriots and heroes.”

But it warned that without urgent reform, more doctors will leave, the workload will get worse, and patient care will continue to suffer.

“No country can move forward if its doctors are collapsing,” the group said.