Patients Stranded As Resident Doctors’ Five-Day Warning Strike Paralyses Health Sector
The five-day industrial action declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has left patients stranded and crippled medical services across several federal hospitals in the country.
According to PUNCH, hospitals, including the Federal Medical Centre, the National Hospital, Abuja, and the University College Hospital, Ibadan, were on Friday grappling with acute manpower shortages as resident doctors withdrew their services.
NARD had declared the strike after repeated failures by the Federal Government to meet its demands. The association had earlier issued three ultimatums: a 21-day deadline in July 2025, later extended by 10 days, and a final 24-hour notice, which expired on Thursday, September 11, before embarking on the action.
The doctors are demanding the immediate payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, settlement of five months’ arrears from the 25–35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure review, and other backlogs. They also want arrears of the 2024 accoutrement allowance, prompt disbursement of specialist allowances, and recognition of West African postgraduate membership certificates.
When PUNCH visited FMC and the National Hospital Abuja, consultants, nurses, and other health workers were struggling to cope with long queues of patients. Many patients expressed frustration over the situation.
An outpatient at FMC Abuja, Grace Okeke, said she arrived at 8 a.m. for her appointment only to discover the doctors were on strike.
“This is almost 10 a.m., I have yet to be attended to. The response is slow compared to before. I will have to wait because I can’t afford to go to a private hospital,” she said.
Another elderly patient at the Surgical Out-patient Department lamented being told to return the following week for his tests.
“Imagine waiting until next Friday before I can see a doctor. Anything could happen between now and then,” he said.
At UCH Ibadan, activities were also grounded as resident doctors boycotted work, leaving hundreds of patients unattended. Reports indicated that the Accident and Emergency Unit turned away patients due to the absence of doctors.
Confirming the action, NARD President, Dr Tope Osundara, said the strike became inevitable after the government failed to meet the association’s minimum demands.
“Unfortunately, the minimum demands were not met within the 24-hour deadline on Friday, so the strike had to commence. The next steps will be decided once the warning strike ends,” he said.
Meanwhile, skeletal services were observed at some hospitals run by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, including Wuse District Hospital and Kubwa General Hospital, where many wards were deserted and only emergency cases were attended to.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
