Medical services were disrupted across several public hospitals in Lagos on Monday as doctors under the state government’s employment commenced a three-day warning strike to protest salary deductions and unpaid arrears.
At the Orthopaedic Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), four patients sat quietly in the waiting area after scheduled appointments were cancelled due to the strike.
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One of the patients, a middle-aged woman with rheumatism who declined to give her name, said her pain had worsened and she had looked forward to the consultation.
“I have severe pain in my legs and was hoping the doctor would help today. But they’ve postponed my appointment to 4 August,” she said, looking distressed.
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“Now I have to manage with just the medicine. You shouldn’t have met me; I should have gone home, but my leg is aching. It feels like a hook, I can’t walk properly.”
The Medical Guild declared a warning strike on Saturday following an emergency congress.
The union, which represents doctors employed by the Lagos State Government, is protesting what it describes as “illegal and disrespectful” deductions from July salaries and unpaid 12-month arrears under the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
Despite appeals by the Lagos government to shelve the action, the strike commenced early Monday, affecting services across LASUTH and other hospitals in the state.
Only admitted patients
At LASUTH, PREMIUM TIMES observed that while some departments, such as physiotherapy, were attending to patients, most clinics were limiting care to only admitted patients.
New patients were not being allowed in, and appointments were being rescheduled.
A patient named Bolu Alao, seen outside the Medical Emergency Unit, confirmed that no new patients were being taken in. “They just told us to come back later,” she said.
Another woman, who had accompanied her elderly mother to the orthopaedic department, was informed that her mother’s appointment had also been cancelled due to the strike.
Across departments like Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), waiting areas and corridors appeared unusually empty.
Other hospitals affected
At the General Hospital in Ifako-Ijaiye, a woman who identified herself as Mrs Kasali shared a personal story of negligence involving her sister-in-law.
Although unrelated to the current strike, she used the opportunity to express frustration with the healthcare services.
She said her sister-in-law laboured for two days at the hospital, and was eventually moved for a Caesarean section, and later referred to a private facility where she died after complications.
The family, she added, was now being told to pay a balance of N120,000 before they could take custody of the child.
“They are still holding the baby. We’ve already spent over a million. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
An elderly woman, Victoria Bolatito, was seen waiting at the Traige and Oxygen centre, but expressed uncertainty about whether she would be attended to.
Guild warns of escalation
In a statement posted on its X account, the Medical Guild said the warning strike followed repeated breaches by the government in honouring previous agreements.
“We are prepared to escalate our measures if the government does not respond swiftly. The welfare of our members and the integrity of the health system are at stake,” an official of the Guild said.
The union has warned that failure to meet its demands could lead to an indefinite strike after a 21-day ultimatum that will follow the warning action.
In a message to its members, it urged full compliance and warned that sanctions would be applied for non-compliance.
“Our monitoring and strike enforcement team will be on patrol to ensure adherence,” the message read.
Government appeals for dialogue
The Lagos state government, in a statement, said it was concerned about the issues raised and was engaging with the Medical Guild through an existing conciliation committee.
“Meetings have been held, and documents submitted by the Guild are being carefully reviewed in line with existing policies and fiscal regulations,” the statement signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said.
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“As a responsible government, we value the critical role our healthcare professionals play in delivering quality and timely health services to the over 20 million residents of Lagos State. We urge the Medical Guild to continue on the path of dialogue while we work to reach a peaceful and just resolution.”
The government added that contingency plans were being implemented to minimise the impact on healthcare delivery during the strike period.
NMA backs strike
The Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has backed the Medical Guild’s action, blaming the strike on what it described as “sudden, illegal and unfair deductions” from doctors’ July salaries without any prior notice.
NMA Lagos Chairman, Saheed Kehinde, stated that the deductions, which ranged from N30,000 to N300,000 depending on the grade level, had previously occurred in April but were reversed following intervention.
“There were several meetings and we felt the issue had been resolved, but to our surprise, the deductions happened again,” he said.
Mr Kehinde accused government agencies of deliberately targeting state-employed doctors, claiming the justification given was that Lagos doctors earn more than their federal counterparts due to the state’s higher minimum wage.
He warned that the strike had already led to avoidable health risks for patients, with many unable to access care in state-run hospitals, which account for about 70 per cent of public health facilities in Lagos.
“The strike has caused unnecessary and preventable health mortality and morbidity in the state. It shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
He added that the strike would be suspended immediately if the government refunds the deducted salaries.
