Public hospitals across Nigeria’s capital are reaching a breaking point as severe bed shortages, chronic understaffing, and protracted labor disputes create dangerous conditions for patients. A Weekend Trust investigation reveals emergency wards so overcrowded that patients are routinely treated on floors or turned away entirely, while the ongoing exodus of medical professionals abroad has left remaining staff struggling under impossible workloads.
The crisis has become particularly dire in primary healthcare centers, where a two-month strike by workers under NULGE has left rural communities and vulnerable groups like nursing mothers without access to basic medical services. The industrial action, which began on March 24, persists despite the recent implementation of a N70,000 minimum wage, as health workers demand payment of longstanding arrears. While FCT Minister Nyesom Wike approved N4 billion in April to address these backlogs, the funds have yet to reach workers, prolonging the standoff.
In major hospitals, the combination of infrastructure limitations and staffing shortages has created life-threatening delays. Weekend Trust documented multiple cases where critically ill patients were either referred to distant facilities or forced to seek alternative care when denied admission due to lack of beds. The situation has become so severe that emergency units now resemble wartime triage centers, with medical personnel making impossible choices about who receives care.
The brain drain of healthcare professionals has compounded these challenges, as doctors continue leaving the country in droves without replacement. This exodus has placed unsustainable pressure on remaining staff, particularly at outpatient units where overcrowding has become routine. Meanwhile, residents in remote areas face additional barriers, as many primary health centers remain shuttered or are located too far from communities to be accessible.
Public health experts warn the system cannot sustain these mounting pressures, especially as Abuja’s population continues growing. Patients and medical professionals alike are calling for immediate government intervention to expand bed capacity, upgrade equipment, and resolve labor disputes before more lives are lost to what many describe as a collapsing healthcare system. With no end in sight to the staffing crisis or infrastructure limitations, observers fear the worst may still lie ahead for Abuja’s most vulnerable residents.
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