The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, has embarked on an indefinite strike following the expiration of a seven-day warning strike.
In a communiqué jointly signed by its President, Dr. George Ebong and General Secretary, Dr. Agbor Affiong, the doctors said the action was necessitated by the government’s persistent neglect of long-standing grievances affecting healthcare delivery across FCT hospitals.
The action comes barely a week after the conclusion of a warning strike, which ended without any concrete resolution of the doctors’ demands.
The association listed severe manpower shortages, poor welfare conditions, unpaid entitlements, unexplained salary deductions and the psychological toll of prolonged working hours as the major reasons for the strike.
According to ARD, no new doctors have been recruited into FCT hospitals since 2011, a development it described as a critical factor behind the overwhelming pressure on the few available medical personnel.
“Without new hands since 2011, the pressure on existing doctors has become unbearable. Coupled with welfare challenges, unpaid entitlements, and unexplained salary deductions, it is no longer sustainable,” the communiqué read in part.
The association stressed that the strike is aimed at compelling urgent government intervention to restore efficiency, improve working conditions and safeguard healthcare service delivery within the territory.
