The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has directed its members to stop engaging in more than 24 hours of continuous call duty from today, October 1, 2025.
NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with correspondents on Tuesday, saying the move is aimed at protecting doctors’ health and ensuring safer care for patients.
“For too long, resident doctors in Nigeria have been overstretched with marathon call hours that take a toll on their health and compromise service delivery.
“From today, Wednesday, October 1, our members will no longer engage in more than 24 consecutive hours of call duty. Marathon call rosters are not tenable because doctors will make mistakes, collapse, or even die. Twenty-four hours are the maximum after which rest is necessary.
“NARD is charging members to reject rosters that schedule back-to-back 24-hour calls,” Suleiman said.
He explained that the association had repeatedly raised concerns about excessive call schedules, which he described as unsafe and unsustainable.
“Any call roster that comes out, a doctor is only allowed to be on a straight 24-hour call once. After those 24 hours, he should go get rest. Then, the next day or the day after, you can put him on call. But to take a 24-hour call, at the end of that, continue another 24-hour call, continue another for a whole week, for a whole month, is no longer acceptable.
“That is why we are calling on the Federal Government, especially the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to bring out clear guidelines, clear, healthy call roster guidelines, so that this will not happen,” he said.
The NARD president clarified that the directive was not about refusing call duty, but about ensuring limits.
“We are not saying we are not taking calls. We are taking calls. This is our job. We are delighted to do it, but we will not take it beyond 24 hours. After 24 hours, one needs to go and rest, eat, see their loved ones, refresh, watch a movie, or read a book. Then you now continue the other,” he said.
