Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Healthcare services at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) remained disrupted on Monday as the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) continued its industrial action, which entered its eighth day . The strike, initiated in compliance with a directive from the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), came after prolonged but unsuccessful attempts to resolve severe welfare concerns with the LUTH management .
In a press briefing held on Monday, the ARD outlined two primary, non-negotiable demands: the immediate completion of the Resident Doctors' Quarters and the restoration of call duty meals . The association said that for over 18 months, an uncompleted renovation project has denied LUTH resident doctors access to their residential quarters . The prolonged delay has forced many doctors—some of whom commute long distances across Lagos—to sleep in their cars, hospital lounges, and other unsuitable locations while continuing to provide essential healthcare services .
Equally pressing, according to the ARD, is the hospital's alleged withdrawal of call duty meals . The doctors noted that they routinely work continuous shifts that extend beyond 24 hours, often working overnight to attend to critical emergencies. Because doctors cannot abandon their duty posts to procure food, the union argued that call duty meals are not a privilege but an established welfare provision critical to delivering safe and uninterrupted patient care . "Similar provisions exist in other federal tertiary health institutions across the country, and LUTH should not be an exception," the ARD stated .
The ARD president, Dr Omogbolahan Adenuga, further disclosed that newly employed doctors have not been paid their salaries due to delays in their enrolment on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) . "Those employed in April have not been captured on IPPIS, so they have not received their salaries from April till now. We are demanding that IPPIS officials immediately capture them so they can be paid," Adenuga said . He added that the association had engaged the hospital management before embarking on the strike, but management attributed the unresolved issues to inadequate funding .
The resident doctors appealed to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, and other well-meaning Nigerians to intervene urgently to avert a prolonged disruption of healthcare services . The doctors warned that without immediate intervention to restore basic working conditions, the disruption of healthcare services at LUTH would persist . "Our desire has always been to remain at the bedside caring for our patients," the association affirmed. "However, quality healthcare cannot be sustained when the welfare and basic working conditions of healthcare workers are neglected" . Adenuga maintained that the strike would continue until concrete steps were taken to address the doctors' demands .
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