Amid strike threat, National Hospital Abuja denies dismissing doctors or healthcare workers.
The hospital management says affected doctors were on temporary contracts, not permanent staff.
The management of the National Hospital, Abuja, has refuted claims that it recently dismissed three doctors from its workforce, as alleged by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Head of Information and Protocol Management at the hospital, Mr. Maijamaa Adamu, clarified that no staff member particularly medical personnel had been terminated by the hospital. His comments were in response to an inquiry concerning recent developments at the facility and the ultimatum issued by the NMA.
On Friday, the FCT branch of the NMA had announced a 14-day ultimatum to the hospital’s management, calling for the immediate reinstatement of three doctors allegedly dismissed after serving three years under a casual employment arrangement. The association warned that its members would embark on an indefinite strike from June 30, 2025, if their demands were not met.
Reacting to this, Adamu emphasized that the hospital has neither sacked any doctors nor considered such action. He stated that all currently employed doctors and consultants remain active in service, and there is no intention to lay off any category of staff, especially healthcare professionals who play critical roles in national healthcare delivery.
“We wish to state in categorical terms that the National Hospital does not even contemplate laying off any category of its staff, let alone doctors or consultants, whose services are immensely valuable to both the hospital and the nation,” Adamu said.
He revealed that, contrary to the reports of dismissal, the hospital is currently undergoing a recruitment process following the federal government’s recent approval to hire more medical professionals. The process, he said, is being handled transparently through a panel that includes representatives from relevant supervising ministries.
Adamu explained that the issue being misunderstood likely concerns consultants who had completed their residency training and were retained on temporary, non-permanent terms known as “locum” appointments. These locum arrangements are typically for six months and are renewable depending on prevailing conditions but do not equate to permanent employment.
According to him, “The locum position is an adhoc arrangement with no formal employment commitment. The hospital management does not have the mandate to convert such arrangements into permanent positions unless expressly authorized.”
He noted that when employment slots were approved by the federal government in late 2023, the hospital secured 83 positions, 10 of which were allocated for consultants. These positions were filled by existing locum consultants at the hospital as part of efforts to address staffing needs and reward commitment.
“For clarity, once residency training is completed, consultants are expected to seek permanent employment elsewhere unless there are vacancies at the hospital. Where such vacancies exist, locum consultants are often given favorable consideration,” he said.
He also pointed out that consultants who are not absorbed are typically given a six-month exit notice, a standard procedure in most tertiary hospitals across the country.
“The decision to keep them on as locum staff is a generous gesture by management. It’s mutually beneficial and based on operational capacity. However, this should not be mistaken for automatic employment,” Adamu concluded.
Efforts to get a reaction from the NMA FCT Chairman, Dr. Emeka Ayogu, were unsuccessful at the time of this report. He did not respond to calls or text messages sent to his mobile line.
