For 84 days, from 15th November, 2025 to 6th February, 2026, the Nigerian public health system operated in a state of partial paralysis as the Joint Health Sector Union & Assembly of Healthcare Professionals (JOHESU) embarked on a nationwide strike over unresolved salary structure disputes with the Federal Government.What began as a demand for adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) evolved into one of the longest industrial actions in the sector in recent years which significantly disrupted healthcare delivery.At the core of the dispute was JOHESU insistence that the Federal Government adjust CONHESS, arguing that while the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) had reportedly been adjusted multiple times, corresponding review for other health professionals had stalled. The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had also earlier gone on strike in November 2025 with improved remuneration as one of their core demands.In an interview with HealthTabs, Alade Olabisi, a member of JOHESU and Higher Dental Surgery Technician at the Federal medical Centre, Abeokuta, cited FG refusal to adjust CONHESS and other failed promises as reason for the strike action. For many striking workers, the issue extended beyond salary increments to what they described as systemic disregard for negotiated agreements.Hospitals Without Essential ServicesJOHESU members include laboratory scientists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dental technologists/surgery technicians, health assistants, records officers, and other allied professionals, all of whom are essential to daily hospital operations.When they withdrew their services, hospitals did not shut their gates. Instead, they functioned in diminished capacity. A house officer at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, reported a drastic reduction in inpatient care.“Our workload has reduced drastically. We don’t have any inpatients. We only go to work during clinic days and there are delays in diagnosis because the laboratory workers are on strike,” they said. They however lamented the adverse effect of the strike on their training. “Morale is low, it’s a saddening thing especially for house officers because this is the most crucial part of our life where we get to train under supervision,” they added.Another house officer who worked at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, similarly described a shift to outpatient-only services and referrals for investigations patients would ordinarily conduct within the hospital. “We send patients outside to do investigations and buy medications,” he said.The doctor during our conversation mentioned the extra burden placed on them by the strike as they have to personally clean consulting rooms as a result of the unavailability of the cleaners due to the strike.An intern nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta in Lagos said nurses had to assume responsibilities typically handled by health assistants and records officers. “We clean, lift patients, do records work after immunization and family planning. We’ve reduced the number of patients we attend to because we must be careful with data management,” she explained.The Human Cost During the strike, an X user identified as Augustine Mario recounted his experience accompanying his mother to the urology clinic at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri, formerly Federal Medical Centre Owerri. His account highlighted long waits, disrupted services, and uncertainty surrounding access to care, an experience reflective of situation across facilities affected by the strike action.A patient of the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, Hafeez Abdallah, similarly took to Facebook to express his frustration at the challenges he faced while seeking healthcare services at the facility.While public hospitals operated at skeletal capacity, patients who could afford private care migrated there, those who could not were left navigating delays and referrals. “Many patients were not being catered for, many people could not afford private hospitals, many rely on public hospitals. This push people to go to some other places to access healthcare which may not be optimal, and can worsen their condition,” the House Officer at FMC Abeokuta said during the chat with HealthTabs.Despite the strike, some emergency services reportedly continued on skeletal basis. Lola Adedayo, a physiotherapist at the General Hospital, Ifako-Ijaye, Lagos, who was also affected by the strike said urgent cases were occasionally attended to, with standby arrangements for critical tests. However, such measures varied by institution and did not restore full multidisciplinary functionality.No Work, No PayOn 8th January 2026, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare issued a directive enforcing the Federal Government “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking JOHESU members. The memo instructed Chief Medical Directors to ensure critical services through locum arrangements and mandated stoppage of January salaries via the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).The policy however deepened tensions as the workers and their unions condemned the directive. Trade Union Congress (TUC) in a press release rejected the directive describing it as a “direct declaration of hostility against Nigerian workers, particularly health worker who have continued to carry the burden of a collapsing healthcare system under unbearable conditions.” Olabisi while commenting on the policy lamented the hardship faced by the workers. “Withholding salary has affected us as we are financially incapacitated. No income means starvation, no payment of rent, school fees and vital services,” she stated.Terms of SettlementAfter deliberations at its Expanded National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting on 6th February 2026, JOHESU voted to suspend the strike following the signing of a Term of Settlement (ToS) with the Federal Government.The terms of settlement included the adjustment of CONHESS under a Collective Bargaining Agreement framework, submission of proposals to the presidential committee on salaries, negotiation timeline extending to April 2026, assurance of non-victimization of members who participated in the strike, withdrawal of the “No Work, No Pay” circular and immediate payment of January salariesAs services resume, attention shifts to whether the CONHESS adjustment process will conclude within the promised timeline or whether another cycle of industrial action looms.
