FG Raises Retirement Age of Clinical Health Workers to 65 Amid Staffing Crisis
Kathy Kyari
In a major policy shift aimed at tackling the persistent shortage of clinical health workers, the Federal Government has approved an increase in the retirement age for skilled clinical professionals in federal tertiary health institutions from 60 to 65 years, or from 35 to 40 years of service, whichever comes first.
The directive was conveyed in a circular issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), referenced HCSF/3065/Vol.1/227 and dated December 31, 2025.
According to the circular, the policy “marked a strategic effort to retain experienced health workers” in key federal health facilities, including teaching hospitals, Federal Medical Centres (FMCs), National Orthopaedic and Neuropsychiatric Hospitals, the National Eye Centre, National Obstetrics Fistula Centres, the National Ear Care Centre, and the National Hospital, Abuja.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who signed the circular, explained that the review specifically targets 26 cadres of skilled clinical health professionals engaged in direct clinical service delivery. These include Medical Officers, Nurses, Pharmacists, Radiographers, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, and other specialised clinical personnel.
The circular noted that the extension is designed to help stabilise service delivery in federal health institutions by retaining highly skilled and experienced professionals whose expertise remains critical to patient care, training, and mentorship.
However, the policy explicitly excludes skilled clinical staff working in Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments within the mainstream Civil Service, limiting its application strictly to designated federal health institutions.
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