2025 Health Sector Report: Reforms, Strikes & The Human Cost
IN 2025, Nigeria’s health sector witnessed measurable progress, including the commissioning of oncology centres, expansion of emergency services, increased immunisation coverage, and clearance of legacy salary arrears. These developments, part of the federal government’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, signalled a renewed commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and institutional capacity.
However, the year was equally defined by persistent labour unrest. Doctors, nurses, and allied health workers staged multiple strikes, paralyzing federal hospitals and revealing systemic challenges in workforce management. NARD’s indefinite strike from November 1 to 29, triggered by welfare and structural grievances, epitomized the sector’s tensions. While a Memorandum of Understanding temporarily ended the strike, unresolved issues such as promotion arrears and specialist allowances underscored lingering inefficiencies.
Other strikes, including those by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives and Joint Health Sector Unions, further disrupted service delivery. Experts highlighted the ethical and human costs, with patients forced to pay for private care, risk unsafe medical interventions, or endure delays in critical treatment. Analysts argue that without sustainable human resource reforms, institutional resilience remains limited, and temporary policy fixes cannot prevent recurring unrest.
Government officials acknowledged these challenges. Coordinating Minister Prof. Muhammad Pate emphasized ongoing reforms, including arrears clearance, hazard allowances, and the institutionalization of CONHESS and CONMESS adjustments. Minister of State Dr. Iziaq Salako stressed dialogue and negotiation as essential to preventing strikes. Yet, for patients and citizens, the year reinforced the fragility of Nigeria’s healthcare system, where infrastructural and policy gains remain vulnerable to labour disputes, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive, sustainable reform strategies.
