Background: Medical supply shortages remain a major challenge within public healthcare institutions in developing countries, particularly in Nigeria, where inadequate funding, weak procurement systems, and unstable supply chains continue to affect healthcare delivery. These shortages place significant pressure on healthcare workers who must provide patient care under constrained conditions. This study explored the experiences of healthcare workers in managing medical supply shortages in public hospitals in Abuja and examined the coping strategies adopted in response to these shortages.

Methods: The study adopted a qualitative research design guided by the interpretivist research philosophy. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory personnel in selected public hospitals in Abuja. A total of 30 participants were recruited using purposive sampling, while 25 validated responses were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: The findings revealed that healthcare workers experience emotional stress, frustration, increased workload, ethical dilemmas, and reduced job satisfaction due to medical supply shortages. The study also found that healthcare workers adopt coping strategies such as rationing of supplies, improvisation of clinical procedures, teamwork, collaboration, and prioritization of emergency cases to sustain healthcare delivery.

Conclusion: The study concludes that persistent medical supply shortages negatively affect healthcare workers and healthcare service delivery, while adaptive coping strategies are continuously used to maintain patient care in public hospitals in Abuja.