The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the federal government to withdraw a new circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) concerning the review of allowances for medical and dental officers in federal public service.
The circular, dated June 27, 2025, has been rejected in its entirety by the NMA, which described it as inadequate, misleading, and a breach of previous agreements reached through collective bargaining.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NMA President, Prof. Bala Audu, warned that failure to address the association’s concerns within 21 days could result in serious disruption of healthcare services nationwide.
“The circular violates the spirit and content of the agreements painstakingly reached between the NMA and the federal government. We were not consulted before this unilateral action,” Audu said.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the public to intervene and ensure the circular is withdrawn and replaced with one that reflects the previously agreed terms.
Prof. Audu outlined several urgent demands, including the immediate withdrawal of the NSIWC circular and its replacement with a version that reflects previously agreed terms. He called for the correction of consequential salary adjustments based on the 2001, 2009, and 2014 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), as well as the proper alignment of relativity between the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), including full payment of all related backlogs.
The NMA also demanded the immediate settlement of outstanding arrears related to CONMESS, clinical duty, and accoutrement allowances. In addition, the association requested the prompt release and upward review of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), the resumption of long-overdue negotiations on CONMESS under the CBA framework, and the issuance of circulars for clinical duty and other allowances for honorary consultants as agreed in January 2024.
Furthermore, the NMA called for the implementation of scarce skills, specialist, and excess workload allowances for doctors, and the adoption of relativity in all professional allowances, particularly call duty allowances, as stipulated in the 2001 CBA.
The association stressed the need for full compliance with the 2021 CBA on hazard allowance, implementation of the 2024 CONMESS circular for house officers, and universal application of CONMESS across all federal and state health institutions to curb internal brain drain. Other demands include comprehensive health insurance coverage for all medical and dental practitioners, constitution of management boards for federal hospitals to improve governance, issuance of a circular to implement the revised retirement age for doctors, enhancement of welfare and support packages for healthcare workers, and an immediate reversal of the appointment of non-medical professionals as consultants in hospitals to safeguard patient safety and maintain standards of care.
Prof. Audu stressed that the NMA remains committed to protecting the wellbeing of Nigerians but warned that the government must act swiftly to prevent a breakdown in healthcare delivery.
“Our demands are rooted in fairness, professional standards, and the survival of the nation’s health sector. We expect immediate attention to avert avoidable crisis,” he stated.
