Kaduna Teaching Hospital Reinstates Dismissed Resident Doctors, Demands N501,000 Refund From Them

The management of Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, has reinstated some resident doctors whose appointments were terminated on June 2, 2025, but has insisted they refund N501,000, representing 50 per cent of their June to December 2025 Medical Residency Training Funds (MRTF).

In the initial termination letter, the hospital stated: “You are advised to refund N501,000, being 50% (June–December) of the Year 2025 Medical Residency Training Funds (MRTF) paid to you, and to further handover all BDTH properties in your possession to your Head of Department.”

The termination had followed a review which found that the affected doctors had exceeded the allowable duration of their residency training and showed lack of academic progress.

“In light of the above, I write with directives to formally notify you of the termination of your appointment from the residency training programme of this institution with immediate effect,” the letter added.

However, the hospital later withdrew the termination directive in a letter signed by Mal. Iliyasu Yusuf, Director of Administration, for the Chief Medical Director on Wednesday.

“Upon further review and in consideration of recent development, I have been directed to withdraw the termination letter and reinstate you back into the residency training programme with immediate effect,” the letter stated.

“In view of the above, you are expected to resume your duties immediately and continue to abide by the hospital’s rules and regulations as you carry out your responsibilities diligently.”

Despite the reinstatement, the demand for the partial refund of the Medical Residency Training Funds remains in place.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had earlier condemned the sacking of some of its members by the management of the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna.

The leader of the North-West Zonal chapter, Abbas Ajayi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kaduna that the sacking was unwarranted and unexpected.

Mr Ajayi condemned the act, saying flow charts for training were non-existent at the hospital.

He said: “People will spend additional years in training for no fault of theirs.

“Some people will keep your proposal for months and not attend to it and then the resident is to blame every time.”

According to Mr Ajayi, anytime the residents embark on strike, they will start sending sack letters.

He said, “The interesting thing about this BDTH is that they are just eight years in residency.

“Someone needs to tell the CMD that it’s impossible for anyone to have overstayed residency in his centre if they started in 2018.”

Also speaking, the chairperson of the hospital’s NARD chapter, Josiah Yakubu, said, so far, six of the resident doctors had received their termination letters from the management.