• 17 Jun, 2025
• Faith Kegh
• No comment

NMA, Abuja Hospital Disagree Over Dismissal of Doctors.

The Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has accused the management of the National Hospital, Abuja, of unj

ustly dismissing three medical consultants. The association claims the move reflects unfair treatment, casualisation, and targeted victimisation.

The hospital, however, denied any dismissal, stating that no consultants on its payroll had been terminated. According to Maijamaa Adamu, Head of Information and Protocol, the hospital recently received federal approval to hire more doctors and nurses, with recruitment ongoing. He added that the consultants in question were on temporary locum contracts, which are renewed every six months and do not represent permanent employment.

Adamu explained that these consultants had completed their residency training and were retained temporarily under the locum system pending available full-time positions. In 2023, ten such consultants were absorbed into permanent roles after approval of new positions.

The NMA disputes this explanation. Vice Chairman of NMA FCT, Dr. Abdullahi Nasiru, said the affected doctors had been serving as consultants for between three to five years and that their termination lacked justification. He claimed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, these doctors accepted lower pay grades in good faith, with the understanding that they would be converted to full-time employees. While some were eventually regularised, others were not.

Nasiru alleged that an unsubstantiated petition was used as a pretext for their dismissal, with no proof of misconduct presented. He also criticized the hospital for hiring new consultants some reportedly trained by those dismissed while ignoring those who had been working under difficult conditions for years.

He accused the hospital of favouritism, suggesting that some doctors were retained or hired because of connections to influential individuals, while others without such backing were let go.

Nasiru also pointed out that the consultants had already been included in the 2025 budget and registered under the national payroll system, making their removal unwarranted.

He further claimed the hospital violated civil service rules and its own employment guidelines, which allow locum engagements for only three months unless formalised through proper hiring procedures.

Despite repeated efforts by the NMA, senior professionals, and the national body to resolve the matter amicably, the hospital has not changed its position. As a result, the NMA issued a 14-day ultimatum demanding the reinstatement of the dismissed doctors. If unmet, consultants and resident doctors at the hospital will begin an indefinite strike on June 30. If the issue remains unresolved one week into the strike, the action will extend to all government hospitals in the FCT.

Nasiru called on the Federal Government to intervene, emphasizing that the matter goes beyond the three doctors and concerns broader issues of fairness and professional integrity.

“We are standing up for justice, and we will continue until this wrong is corrected,” he said.

Faith Kegh

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