The one-week warning strike embarked upon by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has taken a toll on the nation’s health sector, as several hospitals have been abandoned by the striking nurses, raising concerns about the condition of several unattended patients.

Nigerian nurses began the warning strike on Wednesday over unpaid allowances and other remunerations, which they accused the government of neglecting despite earlier agreements.

Our correspondents, who visited several hospitals across the country, report that in-house patients were hurriedly discharged by hospital managements as they operated only skeletal services with senior managers of the nursing units.

The development, it was gathered, also rendered medical doctors helpless, as they could not admit patients without the support of nurses, who were all absent from work.

For example, New National Star visits to the Garki, Wuse, and Asokoro District Hospitals in Abuja, revealed that nurses adhered to the directive by NANNM to sit at home in protest of the unattended agreement by the government.

The situation led to the rejection of patients by the hospitals, as well as the discharge of those already in various wards receiving treatment.

Some management officers of the hospitals who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that they could no longer admit patients because there were no nurses on ground to attend to them. They added that the medical doctors on duty have also declined to attend to the already admitted patients, claiming that they were handicapped, as there were no available nurses to work with them.

The development also led to the rejection of several patients from the hospital gates, while private hospitals now enjoy a bumper time, as patients have no alternative but to use them.

It was similarly reported that hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State, discharged patients who were admitted following the nationwide strike embarked on by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), which began on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the association has directed its members to commence a seven-day warning strike due to the Federal Government’s failure to respond to their demands.

Some of the demands of the nurses include an upward review of shift allowance, adjustment of uniform allowance, a separate salary structure for nurses, and an increased core duty allowance.

Also included in the demands are mass employment of nurses and the establishment of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.

A visit by a NAN correspondent to Adeoyo State Hospital, located on Ring Road, Ibadan, revealed that many of the wards had no patients admitted.

NAN was informed that the patients were discharged, with only a few in critical condition still in the wards, but with no nurses to attend to them.

A relative of one of the patients in the female ward, Mr. Adegoke Rahman, said that some of the patients in the ward were told to go home due to the nurses’ strike.

Rahman said that his mother, who was still in the hospital ward, had just had an operation on her leg and could not walk or stand.

He said that doctors were the ones attending to them and that no nurse was presently working at the hospital.

One of the doctors on duty, who requested that his name not be published, stated that doctors and other medical personnel were not on strike, but emphasized that the hospital was not currently accepting patients for admission, but was attending to outpatients. He added that patients with critical conditions were referred to private hospitals for treatment.

He said that the patients already on admission had been told to go home since yesterday due to the nurses’ strike.

Our correspondent who visited Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA), observed that many patients were seen sitting helplessly, as there were no nurses to attend to them, except for a few doctors who were seen trying to help check their previous medical records.

This is even as the Federal Government has pleaded with the striking nurses to reconsider their stand and return to duty to save the lives of Nigerians.

The Minister of Labour, Muhammadu Dingyadi, appealed to the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives to suspend their ongoing strike, saying that it is not the best solution to industrial disputes.

The Minister, who met with NANNM leadership on Tuesday, urged the association to embrace dialogue while the government continues to work on addressing their concerns.

The ministry, in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Patience Onuoha, noted that the Minister had met with the nurses’ representatives on Tuesday in a meeting which was deadlocked and was set to reconvene on Friday, in a bid to stop the industrial action.

The statement added that the meeting will continue on Friday at the Ministry of Health, as the government works out a resolution to the dispute.

NANNM Chairman, Morakinyo Rilwan, accused the Federal Government of failing to engage meaningfully with the association during the window provided through a two-week ultimatum it issued on July 14, 2025.

“As far as we are concerned, there has been no communication from the government to this moment. That is why we are saying the strike is going on, and nothing is stopping it. Even if the government calls today or tomorrow, it won’t stop the strike. They had enough time.

“This strike is not initiated by the leadership of the union; it was initiated by the members, and they said this is what they want.

“They are not even contemplating ‘no work, no pay,’ because that is the only language the government can use, and they are ready—because the money they are taking is not even enough for them. They are ready to sacrifice that as long as this strike continues.

“For over 40 years, we have been patient with them. They subjected us to no provision of gloves or equipment, and for the past 40 years, nurses have not embarked on any strike,” he said.