Patients Stranded as UCH, Lagos Resident Doctors Join Nationwide Strike

Healthcare services were disrupted on Friday as resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and several hospitals in Lagos State fully complied with a nationwide five-day warning strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The industrial action has left hundreds of patients stranded and in urgent need of medical attention.

The strike, which commenced after the expiration of a 10-day ultimatum to the federal government, is in protest of several unresolved issues, including the non-release of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, non-payment of five months’ salary arrears under the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and outstanding specialist and hazard allowances.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited UCH on Friday, observed that patients at the hospital’s accident and emergency unit were being turned away, with no doctors available to attend to them.

A security official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that no patients had been admitted since the morning shift began. At the General Outpatients Clinic (GOP), one patient, Kazeem Ajibade, said that while a few people were seen briefly in the early hours, all patients were turned away after 8:00 a.m., the official start time of the strike.

Speaking to NAN, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors at UCH, Dr. Gboyega Ajibola, said the strike was aimed at drawing the government’s attention to long-standing demands. He confirmed that the action would last five days unless there was significant progress in negotiations.

“Our demands include the unpaid 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund for over 2,000 doctors across the country, salary arrears from the 2023 CONMESS review, unpaid 2024 equipment allowance, and delays in the issuance and recognition of postgraduate certificates,” Dr. Ajibola said.

He also called on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to address the ongoing issues related to certification, adding that some resident doctors in Kaduna and Oyo states have faced prolonged neglect by their state governments.

“Doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, for instance, have been on indefinite strike since August 1 over non-implementation of the minimum wage,” he added.

Full Compliance in Lagos Hospitals

In Lagos, the strike also saw widespread adherence. Visits by NAN correspondents to key health institutions including the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi Lagos (NOHIL) confirmed that resident doctors had withdrawn their services.

Dr. Benjamin Uyi, President of the Association of Resident Doctors at LUTH, urged the federal government to act before the strike ends.

“These demands have been pending for too long,” he said. “Resident doctors are overworked, burned out, and yet expected to function without proper support. A doctor whose welfare is neglected becomes a risk to patients.”

Dr. Babatunde Egberongbe, President of the ARD at NOHIL, described the situation as “deeply unfortunate,” and warned that continued neglect would only accelerate the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals from Nigeria.

“Doctors are leaving because they can no longer endure the poor working conditions. We are not asking for anything extraordinary just what is necessary to do our jobs and care for our patients,” he said.

Despite the disruption to services, no official response had been issued by the federal government as of the time of this report. Meanwhile, many public hospitals across the country are experiencing service paralysis due to the mass withdrawal of resident doctors.