Abuja doctors commence 7-day strike
The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), on Monday commenced a seven-day warning strike over what it described as the collapse of the city’s health system.
Resident doctors, who are medical school graduates training as specialists, dominate emergency wards of Nigerian hospitals and play a critical role in quality healthcare delivery nationwide.
The industrial action was announced in a communique signed by ARD-FCT president George Ebong and other members of the union’s executive.
Ebong explained that doctors in the FCT have been stretched beyond capacity due to the absence of adequate personnel. “Doctors in the FCT are under immense pressure due to inadequate staffing, adding that they are frequently forced to cover multiple departments,” he said.
According to him, the health sector in the nation’s capital is burdened with long-standing systemic failures that demand urgent and comprehensive reforms.
The union listed manpower shortages, non-functional equipment, poor working conditions, and unpaid staff allowances among the key issues driving the strike.
Ebong recalled that the doctors’ union had, last month, urged the government to quickly address the rising challenges in the health sector, but lamented that no meaningful intervention has followed.
He warned that the situation, if left unchecked, would further deteriorate healthcare delivery across Abuja. “Doctors in the FCT were under immense pressure, frequently covering multiple departments, reiterating that continued neglect could cause systemic collapse,” he stated.
The union said the strike action was intended to push authorities into meaningful engagement and swift action to salvage the deteriorating health system in the Federal Capital Territory.
