Resident Doctors Begin Seven-Day Warning Strike, Demand Urgent Reforms

By Aremu Toyeebaht

The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), has declared a seven-day warning strike, citing what it described as years of neglect and systemic failure in the Abuja health system.

Announcing the strike in Abuja, ARD-FCT President, Dr. George Ebong, said the decision followed resolutions at an emergency general meeting held on Friday, September 5.

He explained that the action was triggered by the attitude of the FCT Administration, despite “rounds of extensive dialogue” to resolve long-standing issues affecting doctors in the territory.

“Some of the issues raised by the association include lack of manpower, the psychological impact of long working hours on doctors which has resulted in the death of a doctor recently in Port Harcourt, unpaid salaries and unexplained deductions,” he said, adding that no new employment had been made since 2011.

The doctors described the FCT health system as a “long-standing systemic failure requiring comprehensive and immediate reform.”

Ebong stressed that frontline health workers were under immense pressure, often covering multiple departments, and warned that without urgent action from government, “continued neglect could cause systemic collapse.”

Other grievances include poor working conditions in emergency and consulting rooms. He cited a recent case in which “a nurse was killed by snake bite in the Abaji General Hospital,” as an example of unsafe workplace conditions.

According to him, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has been repeatedly notified of these issues but “has allegedly turned a blind eye.”

He called on the FCT Administration to declare a state of emergency on the 14 district and general hospitals in the FCT, stressing that the seven-day warning strike “will be uninterrupted.”

“If after seven days the issues raised are not resolved, the doctors will embark on an indefinite strike,” Ebong warned.

He also urged government to include frontline health professionals in policy decisions, noting that the association has given the FCT administration one week to begin “meaningful reforms, especially on staffing and welfare.”