Patients stranded as FCT resident doctors begin strike

The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA), on Monday announced a one-week warning strike to press home its demands over unpaid entitlements and poor working conditions.

Among the issues highlighted were a lack of manpower, poor welfare, unpaid salaries, unexplained deductions, and the psychological toll of long working hours.

The association noted that no new employment had taken place in FCT hospitals since 2011, forcing resident doctors to cover multiple departments.

The strike, which began on 8 September, is scheduled to run until Sunday, 15 September, according to a communiqué signed by the association’s president, George Ebong, and other executive members.

PREMIUM TIMES visited health facilities across the FCT on Tuesday to ascertain the effect of the strike on patients. Findings by this Newspaper showed that patients are heavily bearing the brunt of the industrial action, with many departments closed down and only emergency cases being attended to.

The resident doctors comprise the bulk of medical personnel in Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals; hence health activities are mostly crippled when they are on strike.

Wuse and Garki General Hospitals

At the Wuse General Hospital, Zone 3, several services were disrupted.

Zuriatu Yunusa, a pregnant woman who came for antenatal care, said she was turned back and asked to return after the strike.

Ms Yunusa said the officials did not say when, but noted she should come back on Monday.

“As we came here, they said the doctors have been on strike since yesterday, and we don’t know. It was only when we got here that we got to know. They said they don’t know when they will come back,” she told PREMIUM TIMES.

Hospital officials declined to comment, insisting the reporter must obtain clearance from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare before interviews could be granted.

Meanwhile, services at Garki Hospital were unaffected as its doctors are not part of the strike. Patients were attended to as usual, though some reported minor delays.

An official at the hospital’s administrative office, who did not provide their name, explained that Garki Hospital is not government-owned and is therefore excluded from the industrial action.

Since 2007, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has managed the facility under a concessional Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with Nisa Premier Hospital, which oversees its operations.

Gwarimpa and Kubwa General Hospitals

At the Gwarimpa General Hospital, patient flow was visibly reduced but activities continued in some departments such as radiology and X-ray.

A pregnant woman who identified herself as Ms Nkechi said she did not experience delays during her check-up.

“There was no queue at all, maybe because not too many people came today. A doctor attended to me not quite long ago,” she said.

A senior doctor confirmed the strike but explained that he reported for duty to support emergency care.

“While we are demanding our rights, the masses should not suffer. The people deserve to be treated and not to be affected,” he said.

At Kubwa General Hospital, the impact was more severe.

The facility was unusually quiet, with wards and waiting areas nearly empty. Nurses confirmed that no doctor reported for duty today.

A patient, Ishaya Gabriel, said he had been waiting for hours without help.

“I have been hinted by the nurses that the doctors are on strike but I’m waiting and hoping someone would attend to me,” he said.

Nyanya and Karu General Hospitals

At Nyanya General Hospital, the usually busy hospital was almost deserted.

The General Outpatient Department (GOPD) had no patients waiting, and the only doctor on ground was said to be attending to an emergency case.

A health scientist at the hospital told PREMIUM TIMES that only emergency cases were being handled.

At Karu General Hospital, a doctor who declined to be named explained that the strike was driven by welfare concerns and unpaid arrears.

“It boils down to the poor welfare and working conditions found in most general hospitals in Abuja,” she said.

She added that delayed employment of new resident doctors had also worsened the pressure.

She, however, admitted that the strike would be distressing for patients.

“If I were in the shoes of a patient, I would understand the stress of coming to the hospital and not being attended to. But I wouldn’t say the strike is totally out of place,” she said.

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The doctor advised the government to improve incentives, create better working conditions, and ensure a healthier work-life balance for doctors.

Mr Ebong urged the administration to declare a state of emergency across the 14 district and general hospitals in the territory.

“The strike will be uninterrupted. If after seven days the issues raised are not resolved, the doctors will embark on an indefinite strike,” he warned.
He stressed that decision-making must include frontline health professionals.

Wider concerns

The warning strike comes at a time of growing discontent within Nigeria’s health sector.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had also issued a nationwide ultimatum over similar demands.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the Minister of State for Health, Isaq Salako, expressed optimism that ongoing talks with NARD could prevent a wider strike.

“The National Association of Resident Doctors has issued an ultimatum, but I believe with the level of conversation ongoing, we are making progress,” he said.