By Darius Adams
ABUJA — The Ministry of Defence has moved to set the record straight on allowance payments to medical trainees, saying reports claiming that House Officers and Interns in Armed Forces Reference Hospitals are being owed indefinitely are “false and misleading.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, said on Monday that the Federal Government recognizes the critical role played by medical trainees in military health facilities and that allowances due to them are not being withheld by design.
According to him, the process to clear outstanding payments is already underway, with disbursement to beneficiaries currently in progress.
“The reports in circulation suggesting that House Officers and Interns in Armed Forces Reference Hospitals have not been paid their allowances are not correct,” Pheelangwah stated.
“Payment of the outstanding allowances has commenced, and we are working to ensure that the remaining arrears are settled as soon as additional funds are released.”
The clarification comes amid growing concern from medical associations and families of trainees who decried delays in payment over the past months. Videos and posts on social media alleged that some House Officers and Interns in military hospitals across the country had gone months without stipends, raising questions about welfare in the armed forces’ health system.
Pheelangwah explained that the bottleneck was not caused by administrative lapses within the Ministry, but by a budgetary gap. He noted that there has been no specific budgetary provision for the allowances since January 2026.
“The delay stems from the absence of a budgetary provision for these allowances since January 2026, and not from any administrative failure on the part of the Ministry,” he noted, adding that “Once the provision is made and funds are warranted, the Ministry moves immediately to process payment.”
House Officers and Interns form the frontline of patient care in Armed Forces Reference Hospitals, which serve both military personnel, their families, and civilians in surrounding communities. In these tertiary facilities in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and other locations, the trainees rotate through departments including surgery, medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency care.
Defence officials say the allowance is not a bonus but a statutory entitlement designed to support trainees during their one-year mandatory housemanship and internship. It covers transportation, feeding, on-call duties, and other expenses incurred while working long hours in demanding hospital environments.
“The Ministry pays these allowances because House Officers and Interns are essential to service delivery in our hospitals,” Pheelangwah explained.
“They are the ones on the wards overnight, in the theatres, and in the emergency units. Without them, the hospitals cannot function optimally, especially given the pressure on military health facilities.”
He added that paying the allowance also ensures that the Armed Forces can continue to attract qualified medical graduates into military hospitals, which often serve in difficult and high-risk environments.
The Permanent Secretary further assured that the Ministry is in active engagement with the budget authorities to regularize the provision going forward, so that delays do not recur. He said a template is being developed to capture all eligible House Officers and Interns in Armed Forces Reference Hospitals to ensure transparency and prompt payment.
With Armed Forces hospitals handling a mix of routine and trauma cases, officials stress that sustaining the trainee workforce is key to maintaining operational readiness of the military medical system.
The Ministry added that it remains committed to the welfare of all health workers in its facilities and will continue to work with relevant agencies to ensure that allowances and other entitlements are paid promptly.
