The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has officially directed its members nationwide to stop engaging in continuous on-call duty that exceeds 24 hours. The new directive, which takes effect from October 1, 2025, comes after growing concerns about fatigue, burnout, and the rising number of avoidable deaths linked to extreme working conditions in Nigeria’s hospitals.
According to the association, many young doctors have either collapsed on duty or lost their lives after being forced to remain on call for 48 to 72 hours without adequate rest. NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, described the situation as a “silent killer” that endangers both doctors and their patients.
“When a doctor is physically and mentally exhausted, errors are bound to happen. Patients are put at risk, and doctors themselves are not safe. This is why we have drawn a red line. No more call duties beyond 24 hours,” Suleiman declared.
The association also called on the Federal Ministry of Health to enforce a nationwide one-to-one replacement policy to address the chronic manpower shortage in public hospitals. They argued that Nigeria’s medical brain drain has worsened the workload of the doctors who remain, making excessive call hours a dangerous reality.
NARD further urged hospital management boards to design schedules that comply with global best practices, stressing that doctors are human beings, not machines.
