NATIONWIDE DISRUPTION: Nigerian Nurses and Midwives Ground Hospitals with Warning Strike Over Poor Welfare

Hospitals across Nigeria were thrown into a state of emergency yesterday as nurses and midwives embarked on a seven-day warning strike, sending shockwaves through the already strained healthcare system. The strike, spearheaded by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), brought hospital operations in federal, state, and local government health institutions to a grinding halt, leaving thousands of patients stranded and medical services paralyzed.

From Lagos to Kano, from Port Harcourt to Abuja, the scene was the same — patients in pain with no one to attend to them, wards eerily silent, outpatient departments deserted, and emergency rooms overrun with limited staff struggling to maintain essential services. The nurses and midwives have laid down their tools, citing years of neglect, poor welfare, and unsafe working conditions that have plagued their profession and put their lives and the lives of their patients at risk.

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), a visibly frustrated mother, cradling her feverish child, expressed her dismay after waiting for hours without being attended to. “They told me the nurses are on strike. I don’t even know what to do now. My child is burning with fever, and nobody is answering us,” she said, her voice cracking with desperation. Similar scenes played out in other major hospitals across the country, where helpless patients and family members pleaded for urgent intervention from authorities.

According to the leadership of NANNM, the warning strike is a last resort after repeated calls for improved welfare, salary adjustments, proper staffing, risk allowances, and safer working environments were ignored by relevant government agencies. In a press briefing in Abuja, the union’s National President, Michael Nnachi, described the action as “a painful but necessary step to draw attention to the longstanding neglect faced by nurses and midwives in Nigeria.”

“Our members are overwhelmed, underpaid, and exposed to dangerous conditions without adequate protection. We have exhausted all peaceful options, including letters, meetings, and appeals, but nothing has changed. We can no longer keep quiet while our members die silently or migrate in droves to countries where they are valued,” Nnachi said.

The consequences of the strike were immediate and far-reaching. In Enugu State, doctors at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) were reportedly overburdened as they attempted to manage patient loads without the support of nursing staff. Many surgeries were postponed, while critical care patients were left unattended, some reportedly dying in the process. In Kano, health officials confirmed that several immunization and maternal health programs had been suspended due to the unavailability of midwives.

The situation also worsened in maternity wards, where midwives usually form the frontline of care. A nurse in Rivers State, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that newborns and mothers are at high risk during this period. “It is heartbreaking, but we had to make a stand. We’re constantly overworked, doing double shifts without compensation, and yet they expect us to keep going like machines. Enough is enough.”

In Jos, Plateau State, patients were seen turning away from the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), disappointed to find clinics closed and services unavailable. Some of them blamed the government for allowing things to deteriorate to this level. “Healthcare is not something to gamble with. How can the government allow the people responsible for saving lives to go on strike? This is disgraceful,” said Mr. David Onyema, whose wife was scheduled for surgery that was later cancelled.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has acknowledged the strike, urging the nurses and midwives to return to duty while discussions continue. However, the response has been viewed by many health professionals as weak and lacking the urgency the crisis demands. Analysts argue that the government's failure to address the core issues behind the strike could further accelerate the exodus of healthcare workers to countries like the UK, Canada, and the US, where better conditions and compensation await them.

The strike has also reignited debate around the "Japa" syndrome — the mass migration of skilled Nigerian professionals seeking greener pastures abroad. Nigeria has already lost thousands of trained nurses and midwives in recent years, a trend experts warn will cripple the healthcare system if not urgently reversed. In fact, a report by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) last year revealed that nearly 60% of newly qualified nurses applied for verification of their credentials for international relocation in 2023 alone.

“This is more than a strike; it’s a cry for help,” said health analyst and human rights advocate, Dr. Yemisi Oke. “The government must wake up to the reality that without nurses and midwives, the healthcare system collapses. These professionals form the backbone of patient care, and their welfare should never be taken for granted.”

Social media platforms have exploded with reactions since the strike began. On Twitter (X), the hashtag #NursesStrike was trending by evening, with many Nigerians voicing both their support for the health workers and their outrage at the government’s inaction. One user, @HealthWatchNaija, wrote: “These nurses are heroes who work under impossible conditions. Government should stop playing politics with people’s lives. #NursesStrike.” Another wrote: “Imagine going to the hospital and no nurse to attend to your mother in the ICU. This country needs to do better.”

Meanwhile, private hospitals and clinics are experiencing a surge in patient admissions, raising fears that the already expensive cost of healthcare in private institutions may soar further. Some clinics in Abuja and Lagos reported more than double their normal patient load, causing concern over whether they can handle the overflow for an entire week.

As the warning strike enters its second day, the NANNM has vowed that unless their demands are met, a full-blown indefinite strike may follow once the seven-day notice period lapses. This could prove catastrophic for the nation’s fragile healthcare system already burdened by limited resources, poor infrastructure, and a high disease burden.

For now, thousands of Nigerians needing critical care must continue to wait, pray, or seek private alternatives — if they can afford it. In the echoing hallways of government hospitals, the silence left by the absence of nurses is a deafening indictment of a system that has failed its most essential caregivers. And unless something is done quickly, the cost of this inaction may soon be counted not in protests or headlines, but in lives lost.