Medical services at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, were severely disrupted on Friday as resident doctors complied with a nationwide strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The five-day warning strike, which began at 8 a.m., left hundreds of patients stranded, with many unable to gain admission into critical units such as accident and emergency.
The strike followed the expiration of a 10-day notice earlier issued to the Federal Government. A NAN correspondent who monitored the situation observed that only a handful of patients were attended to in the morning before doctors completely withdrew their services. Security personnel confirmed that no new patients had been admitted since duty resumed that day.
Speaking on the action, Dr. Gboyega Ajibola, President of the Association of Resident Doctors at UCH, explained that the decision was aimed at drawing attention to long-standing unmet demands. These include the payment of the 2025 medical residency training funds for over 2,000 doctors nationwide, settlement of salary arrears under the 2023 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) review, as well as the release of unpaid 2024 equipment allowances. He also raised concerns over delays in postgraduate certificate recognition and issuance by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
Ajibola highlighted that resident doctors in Kaduna and Oyo states have suffered additional neglect from state governments. In Kaduna, doctors have been on strike since August 1 over demands to be placed on the 2024 CONMESS scale. Similarly, resident doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, have continued an indefinite strike, citing the non-implementation of the national minimum wage, lack of medical residency training funds, and severe understaffing.
The UCH ARD president stressed that the strike is only a warning action and may be called off if government responds to their minimum demands. He urged federal and state authorities, along with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, to engage with the doctors promptly in order to avert further disruption in healthcare delivery across the country.
