By Precious Mark
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has approved a national policy to regulate the engagement of locum doctors and eliminate the casualisation of healthcare workers across public health institutions.
Under the new regulatory framework, temporary or contract medical engagements must strictly stem from verifiable staffing gaps and receive prior approval from designated hospital management boards.
The initiative aims to curb long-standing practices where hospitals retain doctors on temporary arrangements for years without formal recruitment, thereby standardising working conditions and remuneration for contract medical personnel nationwide.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Publicity and Social Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, the policy was developed following extensive joint consultations between the government and healthcare unions to end abusive casualisation.
The approved framework limits initial temporary doctor engagements to six months, with only one additional six-month renewal permitted.
Contract arrangements extending continuously for 12 months will automatically make the affected position eligible for permanent recruitment.
To protect healthcare personnel from severe burnout, the policy caps total working time at 48 hours per week, including weekends, while limiting continuous duty shifts to a maximum of 24 hours.
It also mandates a 12-hour minimum rest period between shifts, a mandatory 24-hour post-call rest following weekday or weekend shifts, and a one-hour break for every six hours of uninterrupted work. On-call duties are capped at two calls per week and one weekend call per month per doctor.
On remuneration, pay rates for temporary medical personnel have been aligned with the official government Scheme of Service, requiring hospitals to issue monthly payments alongside payslips without delay. Covered doctors are also granted rights to public holidays, government-approved leave, and occupational insurance coverage.
Reacting, NARD commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, for endorsing the guidelines, expressing confidence that the National Council on Health will also adopt the framework for nationwide enforcement across all tiers of healthcare delivery.