The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), located in Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, is one of Nigeria’s leading tertiary care facilities. Since UNTH is a federal government owned teaching hospital, it adheres to certain salary structures as laid out by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).
Therefore, current UNTH employees, those aspiring to work at UNTH, and health care professionals planning to make a career move to this teaching hospital need to understand the salary structures.
This guide focuses on the different salary structures at UNTH as of 2026 and the various components of the consolidated salary structures that apply to doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, and office staff.
The Regulatory Framework: Who Approves UNTH Salaries?
Before specific numbers can be stated, it is essential to understand the regulatory frameworks that influence and determine UNTH salaries.
The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, established in 1993, is the government agency that is exclusively tasked with designing and recommending compensation frameworks that are justified within the Nigerian public service.
For federal teaching hospitals like UNTH, salaries are not free for all. Rather, UNTH salaries fall under a specific category of Consolidated Salary Structures.
These structures undergo periodic reviews and are adjusted following negotiations between the Federal Government and relevant professional unions e.g. the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and other health workforce unions.
Major Salary Structures at UNTH
At UNTH, employees’ roles and qualifications determine which of the three major consolidated salary structures they fall into.
1. CONMESS: Consolidated Medical Salary Structure
CONMESS, or the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, is the salary structure for medical doctors and dental surgeons in the employment of the Federal Government of Nigeria. This structure encompasses all medical staff of federal government medical institutions – including UNTH.
Whom Does CONMESS Cover at UNTH?
The following categories of medical staff are paid under UNTH:
– Resident Doctors (doctors in training for postgraduate specialty)
– Medical Officers (doctors of general duty)
– Consultants (doctors of specialty, who have completed their training)
– Dental Surgeons (both resident and dental consultants)
Changes in Medical Staff Salaries in 2026
The year 2026 will be notable for all medical staff at UNTH and other federal tertiary teaching hospitals in Nigeria. In January 2026, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced a 40% salary increase for academic staff of all public universities.
Although this increase will directly benefit the medical lecturers, it also creates a standard for other salary reviews in the health sector.
The 40% increase will constitute what are termed “academic tools” allowances for lecturers, which cover journals, conferences, internet access, memberships to learned societies, and book allowances. Medical staff who are lecturers at the UNTH College of Medicine will also benefit from this increase.
2. CONHESS: Consolidated Health Salary Structure
CONHESS(Consolidated Health Salary Structure) is the salary structure that is used for health workers other than medical doctors, who are also in the employment of the federal government.
Categories of CONHESS Employees at UNTH
The following professional groups at UNTH are compensated under CONHESS:
Nursing Staff
- Registered Nurses
- Nurse Managers
- Public Health Nurses
- Perioperative (Theatre) Nurses
Allied Health Professionals
- Medical Laboratory Scientists
- Radiographers and Imaging Scientists
- Pharmacists
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Dietitians
Health Technicians and Technologists
- Pharmacy Technicians
- Laboratory Technicians
- Dental Technologists
- Health Information Officers
3. CONTISS II: Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure II
CONTISS II is the salary structure for non-academic staff members of federal universities and their affiliated institutions, including teaching hospitals . This structure covers administrative, technical, and support staff who do not fall under CONMESS or CONHESS.
Roles Covered by CONTISS II at UNTH
- Administrative Officers
- Accountants and Auditors
- Human Resources Personnel
- Public Relations Officers
- IT Support Staff
- Maintenance and Works Department personnel
- Security Staff
- Clerical and Secretarial Staff
- Drivers and Transport Officers
Current Salary Figures at UNTH (2026)
Using salary data shared by employees, we present a salary analysis for employees at UNTH. Please keep in mind that these numbers reflect base salary or salary estimates and do not account for allowances that may cumulate to a greater total salary.
Salaries of Medical Staff (CONMESS)
Based on the employee salary data for UNTH, medical practitioners earn about the following amounts per month.
| Position | Average Monthly Salary (₦) | Notes |
| Theatre Nurse | ₦315,000 | Specialty nursing role |
| Resident Doctor | Varies by year of training | Range: ₦300,000 – ₦500,000+ |
| Registered Nurse | ₦211,000 | Entry to mid-level |
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | ₦184,000 | Range: ₦163,000 – ₦205,000 |
Intern and Housemanship Salaries (2026)
For medical and dental graduates undertaking the mandatory housemanship/internship year, UNTH is guided by the posting instructions of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
All teaching hospitals under the MDCN centralized posting system currently offer a monthly salary of ₦267,000 for housemanship/internship positions.
This rate is for:
Medical Houseman (House Officers)
Dental Housemen
UNTH is one of the teaching hospitals under the MDCN centralized housemanship posting system together with other prominent institutions like Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan and University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
Average Total Salary
As per the compiled employee salary data, the average monthly salary at UNTH across all positions is about ₦155,000. Notwithstanding, this amount varies greatly by the position, level, and profession.
Allowances and Other Salary Components
At UNTH, base salaries alone should not be used to define salaries. Employees receive several allowances that may significantly increase the total monthly salary.
Common Allowances at UNTH
For Medical Staff (CONMESS)
- Professional allowance (varies by rank)
- Call duty allowance (for resident doctors and consultants covering emergency shifts)
- Risk allowance (hazard pay for exposure to infectious diseases)
- Teaching allowance (for those involved in medical education)
For All Healthcare Staff (CONHESS)
- Shift differential (for nurses and other shift-based workers)
- Uniform allowance
- Housing allowance (typically 10-15% of base salary)
- Transport allowance
For Academic Medical Staff (New in 2026)
Medical doctors holding academic appointments (Lecturer I, II, Senior Lecturer, Professor) at UNTH’s College of Medicine now benefit from the newly introduced Professorial Credit Allowance :
| Position | Annual Allowance | Monthly Equivalent |
| Professor | ₦1,800,000 | ~₦140,000 |
| Academic Reader | ₦840,000 | ~₦70,000 |
This allowance, effective from January 1, 2026, is designed to support research coordination, academic documentation, and administrative efficiency for senior academics .
Conclusion
The salary at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in 2026 demonstrates the interaction of several elements: the policies of the Federal Government, the classifications of CONMESS, CONHESS, and CONTISS, and the current bargaining process of the Government and the Health Care Unions.
University Medical doctors in CONMESS, especially those with University appointments, are rewarded through the latest 40% salary increase and the new University Professorial Credit Allowance for the 1st of January 2026. Nurses, laboratory scientists, and allied health professionals in CONHESS receive competitive salaries that are routinely modified through union negotiations. Administrative and technical staff in CONTISS II receive salaries that match the federal standards for tertiary institutions.
For medical graduates looking for a house job, UNTH provides the standard MDCN salary of ₦267,000 a month, the same as other prominent federal teaching hospitals in Nigeria.
Although base salary numbers are informative, total pay at UNTH is considerably higher because of the multiple benefits provided. For this reason, UNTH is among the preferred employers in the Nigerian public health care sector. Still, statutory deductions, the persistent brain drain phenomenon, and the likelihood of industrial actions suggest other reasons beyond salary that can be considered to attract health care professionals to this historic institution.
Disclaimer: Salary figures in this article are based on available published data, employee reports, and official government announcements as of 2026. Actual compensation may vary based on individual qualifications, years of experience, step level, and applicable deductions. Readers are advised to consult official UNTH Human Resources communications for position-specific salary information
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