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NARD sets 24-hour call duty limit for doctors

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The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors 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 The PUNCH 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.

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“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.

Suleiman recalled a tragic incident involving a young doctor in Rivers State.

According to him, the doctor had reportedly been on call for three days consecutively before being found dead in the call room.

“Some stories will tell you he had malaria, and he was on some medications. Some will tell you they don’t know what happened, but he was with his colleagues at the end of the three-day call, and then he said, ‘Let me go and rest in the call room,’ and he was no more.

“Even if that is not the direct cause of death, it is a remote contributing factor. You really cannot say that excess workload or burnout is not real. And that is why we are taking this stand,” he emphasized.

He further stated that long call hours were compounded by doctors’ other responsibilities.

“It is not just the call we are taking; we still have regular work that we do. We have patients that are already in the ward, medications that need to be served, and clinics that need to be run. It is not as if you are on call; you are now saying stop all other work,” he stated.

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PHOTOS: Police demote officer for unauthorised VIP escort duty

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The Nigeria Police Force has demoted a corporal to the rank of constable for engaging in unauthorised VIP escort duties, in violation of directives issued by the Inspector-General of Police and President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the force disclosed that CPL Suleiman Musa (F/No: 517077), attached to 45 PMF, was found escorting a VIP without the required clearance. His action was deemed a breach of the strict enforcement measures put in place to end the indiscriminate deployment of police personnel for such assignments.

According to the statement, the disciplinary action serves as a warning to other officers and reinforces the need for full compliance with operational guidelines.

The force also noted that the incident raises questions about how the unauthorised assignment came about and whether the officer acted alone.

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PHOTOS: Father, son, three others d!e in Kano well collapse and fire incident

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Tragedy struck across three local government areas of Kano State as five people, including a 10-year-old girl, lost their lives in separate incidents involving a well collapse, a fall into a well, and a house fire.

The spokesperson of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incidents in a statement issued on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

The first incident occurred in Badume Kanawa Village, Bichi Local Government Area, where three people d!ed while attempting to re-dig a well.

According to Abdullahi, the rope supporting one of the victims, identified as Sa’idu Gada, 65, snapped while he was working inside the well.

In a desperate attempt to save him, his son, Sani Isyaku, 20, entered the well but also became trapped. A third man, Yakubu Abdullahi, 60, followed with the hope of rescuing both, but he too was unable to make it out.

Fire Service personnel rescued the trio in an unconscious state, but they were later confirmed d3ad.

Their remains were handed over to DSP Kabiru Iliyasu of the Badume Police Division.

In another incident in Danbatta Local Government Area, a 10-year-old boy, Hassan Iliyasu Haruna, fell into a well and d!ed before help could reach him.

The third tragedy occurred in Badawa Layin Day in Nassarawa Local Government Area, where a 10-year-old girl d!ed in a house fire on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

Fire Service officials said the blaze engulfed a section of a residential building, destroying two bedrooms. The girl was rescued unconscious but was later confirmed d3ad.

Speaking on the incidents, the Director of the Fire Service, Sani Anas, urged residents to avoid entering wells during emergencies, warning that such actions often result in additional casualties rather than successful rescues.

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He advised the public to immediately call emergency responders when accidents occur, stressing that trained personnel are better equipped to handle such situations safely.

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PHOTOS: Troops rescue 14 kidnapped victims in Benue forest

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Nigerian Army troops of Joint Task Force Sector One, Operation Udo Ka (OPUK), in collaboration with the Neighbourhood Watch, have rescued 14 kidnapped victims during a coordinated operation at Orokam Forest, a border area linking Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State and Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The operation was conducted on Friday at about 1:30 p.m., following credible intelligence from locals indicating the presence of a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in the forest.

Troops deployed in Udenu LGA swiftly mobilised to the location alongside vigilante personnel of the Neighbourhood Watch.

While approaching the hideout, the criminals opened fire on the troops. The joint team responded with a high volume of fire, forcing the kidnappers to flee in disarray and abandon the kidnapped victims.

14 abducted persons, who were returning from a burial ceremony over the weekend before being kidnapped, were rescued unhurt.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were abducted from two separate communities Ezimo Agu in Udenu LGA, Enugu State, and Orokam in Ogbadigbo LGA, Benue State.

The victims were subsequently handed over to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Udenu Division, for onward reunification with their families.

The troops expended 70 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition during the engagement and returned to base at about 7:21 p.m. without any incident.

Troops had intensified monitoring of the general area to deny criminal elements freedom of action.

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