Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations on Thursday staged a protest at the Unity Fountain in Abuja over a proposed health sector reform bill before the National Assembly.

The protesters expressed strong opposition to the legislation, warning that it could significantly alter the regulatory structure of the country’s health sector.

The PUNCH reported that according to the demonstrators, the bill seeks to place all medical professions under the control of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. They argued that such a move would undermine existing professional bodies and create an imbalance within the sector.

The health workers maintained that each profession already has its own regulatory council and warned that the proposed law could relegate other healthcare professionals to a subordinate status. They further alleged that the bill is designed to make non-physician health workers “second-class” to medical doctors.

The protesters said they would proceed to the National Assembly complex to present their grievances to lawmakers and push for a reconsideration of the proposed legislation.

Recall that the unions had announced plans to stage a national protest in Abuja over the proposed Health Sector Executive Bills 2026, currently before the National Assembly. In an official communication obtained by our correspondent on Thursday morning, the unions said the protest is expected to draw healthcare professionals from across the country to the National Assembly Complex, with participants converging at the Unity Fountain in Maitama.