Patients bear brunt as resident doctors’ strike enters fourth day
(Mariam Ileyemi, Emmanuel Agbo, Oluwakemi Adelagun, Zainab Adewale, Fortune Eromosele and Aisha Yusfu)
Hospitals across Nigeria remained in partial shutdown as the nationwide strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) entered its fourth day, leaving patients stranded and many departments operating at minimal capacity.
Visits by PREMIUM TIMES reporters to health facilities in Lagos, Abuja, and Kaduna revealed that while emergency and critical units were operating partially, most outpatient and specialised services were shut down.
Lagos hospitals run skeletal services
At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, a few nurses were seen attending to already-admitted patients while new admissions had stopped.
A patient at the Labour Ward, who identified herself as Mrs Nafisat, told PREMIUM TIMES she was still receiving attention.
“I am receiving care despite the strike, but I have not seen any new patients,” she said.
A student nurse in the Oncology Unit also confirmed that nurses were “still rendering services to all patients already admitted,” though she was unsure whether new cases were being taken in.
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) Secretariat at the hospital was empty when PREMIUM TIMES visited. A staff member, however, said some resident doctors “still come around mostly in the morning,” but only briefly.
At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, patients arriving for appointments met locked consulting rooms and empty waiting halls, and major departments like the Medical Emergency Unit were deserted.
Adekemisola Dike, a mother who came for her baby’s check-up at 12 noon, said she was unaware of the strike and had to leave immediately.
“On getting here, I was informed that they were on strike. I am not happy,” Mrs Dike said. “I came for my baby’s check-up after struggling to get a ride.”
Another patient, an elderly man, said he had an endocrinology appointment but was told to return in two weeks. Rebecca Onasanwo, who accompanied her husband to the Surgical Outpatient Department, also left without seeing a doctor.
“We had an appointment for 11 a.m., but they said the doctors are not available,” she said.
Meanwhile, some sections, such as paediatrics, continued to operate on limited scale. David Mfonobong, who visited with his wife and infant, said their child’s tests had been done, but most patients were turned back.
Mr Mfonobong said about 30 parents were waiting this morning, but 80 per cent were sent home. Only emergency cases were attended to.
LASUTH’s Director of Clinical Services and Training, Adebowale Adekoya, confirmed that the hospital was concentrating on “critical cases in the intensive care and emergency units,” explaining that some services continued under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.
“Patients from the critical care unit are referred to other hospitals once they are stable,” Mr Adekoya said.
Skeletal services in Abuja
At the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, services were partially disrupted. Resident doctors were absent, leaving nurses and consultants to handle emergency and maternity cases.
A pregnant woman, Adaeze, said she arrived early for an appointment but left disappointed.
“I came very early to see a doctor, but no one has attended to me. They said the strike is indefinite,” she said.
At the hospital’s emergency unit, nurses were seen working around patients, while a resident doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity said the department was “running with very limited manpower.”
“We can’t abandon emergencies entirely. I came around to help on humanitarian grounds. Many of us are staying away because of the strike, but some of us come to assist in emergencies,” he said.
At the Antenatal Department, a member of the hospital’s SERVICOM unit said consultants are available and have attended to patients who came for antenatal sessions.
She said, “Consultants are around and they have attended to the pregnant women who had come earlier in the morning.”
A nurse on duty at the consulting area also confirmed that the rooms are open to patients, though without the presence of resident doctors.
“Patients are being attended to, but none of the resident doctors are around,” she said.
At the National Hospital, Abuja, wards such as Oncology and the General Outpatient Department were filled with patients waiting to be called in small batches.
One patient’s relative, who came from Gwarimpa with his mother, said only 10 patients were being attended to in the oncology section each day.
“I came all the way from Gwarimpa. My mother needs attention, but because of the strike, she’s not getting it,” he said. I explained her condition to them, and they are aware, but they just don’t want to attend to us.”
Another woman at the oncology department said her mother was among the few fortunate patients being attended to after arriving very early in the morning.
“We’ve been here since 6:30 a.m. They are attending to those whose names were listed among the first 10. My mother was given a number, and that’s why she’s seeing a doctor now,” she said.
Kaduna hospitals affected
At the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shikka-Zaria, Kaduna State, a senior consultant in the Accident and Emergency Unit, who requested anonymity, said the strike had severely affected operations.
“We only treated four patients today with minimal cases and didn’t admit them,” he said. “The patients on admission before the strike are still here, but we can’t move them to the wards.”
He said only a few resident doctors were on duty “because I begged them,” adding that those who refused to work risked being replaced.
The consultant urged the government to engage hospital professionals directly to understand the challenges they face.
“It’s not enough to talk to the heads of medical associations. They should also hear from departmental heads to know the true problems of health workers and how best to solve them,” he said.
He also called on the government to increase workers’ salaries and allowances that is being paid to doctors and other health workers.
However, at the Major Ibrahim Abdullahi Hospital in Zaria, a general hospital, services continued largely uninterrupted. Hulera Abdullahi, who brought her baby for immunisation, said she was not aware of the strike.
A patient identified as Cornelius Ndubisi, who came for his HIV medication, said he experienced only minor delays due to staff shortage.
“I’ve been here since 8 a.m. and just got my drugs at 11 a.m. The place was crowded, but they attended to us,” he said.
The hospital’s Medical Director, Olawumi Waheed, confirmed that none of their doctors were on strike since they are not NARD members.
“We’re even getting more patients now because of the strike in teaching hospitals,” he said.
Background
The strike, which began on 1 November, followed what NARD described as years of unmet demands and broken promises by the federal government.
The association listed unpaid arrears from the 25 and 35 per cent CONMESS review, unpaid allowances, delayed promotions, and poor working conditions among its grievances.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recently announced the approval of N11.9 billion to settle outstanding arrears and pledged mass recruitment of health workers across federal institutions.
The ministry said N10 billion was already paid in August for part of the seven months’ arrears from the 25 to 35 per cent upward salary review. It added that N10.6 billion had also been released for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).
But NARD, in a statement signed by its president, Mohammad Suleiman, dismissed the government’s claims of progress, describing them as “fiction detached from reality.”
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The association accused the health ministry of misinforming President Bola Tinubu and the public, saying that most of its 19 longstanding demands remain unmet.
These include arrears of allowances, promotion delays, irregularities in salary payments through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and poor working conditions.
“Our struggle transcends money. It is about dignity, safety, and survival,” the statement said. “Industrial peace cannot be achieved through press statements but through justice, sincerity, and respect for agreements.”
