The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has called off its warning strike following the intervention of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The association’s President, Dr. George Ebong, confirmed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under Wike had fulfilled several of their key demands.
These include the payment of six months’ salary arrears, approval of accoutrement allowances, and other measures aimed at addressing long-standing grievances.
Issues leading to the strike
Earlier this week, on Wednesday, doctors had grounded operations in all FCTA-owned hospitals over unpaid arrears and other unresolved issues.
The strike had disrupted healthcare delivery across Abuja, raising concerns about the potential for an indefinite shutdown of hospitals.
Dr. Ebong confirmed that members have started receiving alerts for salary arrears.
He added that the intervention had put an end to the impending indefinite shutdown of hospitals in Abuja.
Dr. George Ebong expressed appreciation on behalf of the executive members and the entire congress of the Association of Resident Doctors, FCTA, for the intervention by the Honourable Minister, Nyesom Wike.
He praised Wike’s prompt actions, which brought an end to the warning strike and averted a potential indefinite shutdown of hospitals in Abuja.
Ebong, however, urged the minister to meet other of its demands to avert future strike action.
Minister’s Key Resolutions
Dr. Ebong outlined the resolutions made by the minister, which include:
- Immediate payment of six months’ salary arrears owed to doctors and other health workers.
- Approval and disbursement of the outstanding Medical Residency Training Funds (2024).
- Immediate payment of the owed accoutrement allowance.
- Bonding of medical residency to two years.
- Urgent recruitment of doctors and allied health workers to address the critical manpower shortage.
- Payment of outstanding salaries for locum doctors and other health workers.
Call to prevent future crises
While commending the minister’s goodwill, Dr. Ebong urged him to establish mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such issues.
“We humbly appeal to the Honourable Minister to establish a mechanism that ensures such anomalies do not recur in the future,” he said.
He also added, “While we sincerely appreciate the goodwill of the Honourable Minister, we are also hopeful that our other demands will be attended to in due time, such as the payment of the hazard allowance, the upgrading and the rehabilitation of our healthcare facilities, the conversion of post-part II doctors to consultant cadre, among others.”
As stakeholders in the Renewed Hope Agenda, Dr. Ebong expressed confidence in the minister’s ability to transform the FCTA health sector into a model for others to follow.
He also voiced optimism about the minister’s visit to district hospitals, emphasizing their readiness to warmly welcome him.
With the strike officially called off, all resident doctors are expected to resume work at their respective posts by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
